Growing Your Cool Weather Crops

I get so excited when winter is finally coming to an end and I can start thinking about planting some cool weather crops. Once your soil temperatures reach an average of 40 F degrees , you can start planting them. Most cool weather crops can handle short periods of frost. For best results, grow them in cool weather and allow them to mature in cool weather. When the temperatures become warmer, most cool weather crops will bolt to seed and will no longer be edible. An example of this would be broccoli. Did you know that broccoli, if it bolts to seed, has beautiful yellow or purplish flowers? Broccoli is a plant with dense clusters of tight green flower buds, but when it bolts this means the plant is getting ready to flower making it not edible. Lettuce and cilantro are also quick bolting plants. It is not always the weather that causes a plant to bolt. Sometimes transplanting a plant is just to much stress on the plant. In protest, it will bolt to seed. Just be sure to get them in the ground as soon as the weather permits it and you will have success at growing cool weather crops. Here is a list of a few cool weather crops.

Arugula
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Collards
Celery
Chard
Fennel
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Onions
Peas
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Strawberries
Coriander (Cilantro)

So enjoy your first crops of the season, this is quite a list to chose from. When the weather gets to warm for the cool weather crops, you will have more space to put in summer crops. Don’t forget to plant your cool weather crops again in the fall!