For those of you who tuned into the last garden chat, we talked a bit about the particular challenges this past summer presented to anyone trying to grow almost any type of plant. Even the farmers needing hay were challenged by the heat & drought, and grass is usually a pretty forgiving crop.  As gardeners, we had the extra challenges of several late frosts. In fact a lot of my client base experienced frost every month this summer. Fortunately, this past season was not the norm, and we can always hope for fewer challenges next year.

Many vegetable crops like tomatoes, peppers, & cucumbers don’t handle the cold nights we experienced late in the season very well, and many gardeners who were anxious to get growing early, may have lost them to frost.  However, cold crops like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach and lettuce greens flourished in the cool temperatures of our early season.  I had seeded & transplanted an abundance of these before we were hit with our last late snowfall, and they all not only survived, but thrived in the cool temperatures.  The best bet to ensure minimal damage from not only direct contact with snow & excessive cold, but also to protect plants from bugs later, is Floating Row Covers!  My new favorite gardening accessory!  For those of you who may not know what these are, they are a white lightweight material, (similar in appearance to interfacing, for you sewers out there) usually about 6’ wide, that when placed over plants, allows light & water in, but keeps bugs out and offers some protection from cold & snow as well.  They are particularly useful for vegetables in the cabbage family such as broccoli, cauliflower & brussel sprouts that are prone to a host of pests. By placing them over plants at the time of transplanting and leaving them in place till harvest, they keep out the flying insects responsible for laying their eggs on the ground, which later produces cabbage worms & root maggots.  The result is an early harvest of completely bug free sweet tasty produce, unparalleled by anything you’ve ever tasted from a grocery store. 

So to recap for your early planting plans next year…. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, spinach, lettuce, radishes, chives & parsley are all cool season crops that enjoy the cool weather and can handle frosts & even snow.  Save the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash & melons that like the heat, to plant in June, & enjoy the early abundance of vegetables you will get from those cool weather crops.