Create your spring vegetable garden now! | JDM
Many people believe it is necessary to wait until late spring to start an outdoor vegetable garden. Above all, don't wait until the end of May or June to sow and plant edible plants in your vegetable garden since many vegetables are particularly resistant to cold. Get some fresh air this weekend and do some urban agriculture, it will do you the greatest good!
• Read also: Do-it-yourself spring vegetable garden
Swiss chard, beets, chives, kale, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, tarragon, lettuce, lamb's lettuce, mint, onion, parsley, leek, snow peas -everything and radishes hold up well in cool temperatures, even below freezing in some cases. These plants can therefore be sown or planted outdoors in April, in the ground or in containers, as soon as the temperature exceeds 5°C.
Here is the description of some vegetables that are not afraid of the cold, to grow now in your vegetable garden or on your terrace.
The gardener's calendar
Photo courtesy, Albert MondorDo not hesitate to grow your spring vegetables in containers with herbs and edible flowers that do not fear the cold, such as parsley and pansies.Work to be done at the end of April
Carrot
Photo courtesy, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds 'Pusa Asita' carrot features a spectacular purple, almost black coloration. Very rich in antioxidants, it has a rich and tasty taste.Sowing carrots in open ground can be done three to four weeks before the time when there is no risk of frost. In southwestern Quebec, it is therefore possible to sow this vegetable as early as mid-April in order to obtain an early harvest. By making two or three successive sowings, in April, May and June, the harvest will thus be prolonged until autumn. The carrot appreciates full sun, but it is also one of the few vegetable plants that tolerate light shade. It grows well in a light and fresh soil, well loosened and amended with compost.
Carrot seeds should be planted about 1 cm (1/2 in.) deep. As the seeds are tiny, it is very difficult to distance them properly. You can simply try to space your seedlings as far apart as possible and then leave all the plants in place without thinning. However, the carrots you harvest will vary in size. Depending on the cultivar, harvesting usually takes place between 50 and 70 days after sowing.
On the other hand, some gardeners force themselves to thin the plants by cutting the excess ones with scissors, but studies have shown that cutting or touching the foliage of the carrots a lot has the effect of attracting more carrot fly. The use of agrotextiles and companion planting with onions are two good ways to avoid attacks by this insect.
Kale
Photo courtesy, Albert MondorThe 'Winterbor' kale is hardy and very cold hardy.Kale is actually a cabbage whose curly leaves do not take on a headed shape. Since it is particularly resistant to cold, the seeds of this vegetable can be sown outdoors from mid-April. Seed should be planted to a depth of 13 mm (1/2 in). It is also possible to transplant to the garden seedlings of kales that you have left yourself indoors.
Kale prefers rich, moist clay soil exposed to six hours or more of sunlight.
Lettuce
Photo courtesy, Kokopelli AssociationThe “Grosse Blonde Paresseuse” lettuce was first presented in 1854 in the catalog of the famous French seed company Villemorin. This hearty head lettuce features crisp, tender green leaves with a slightly buttery flavor.
As it does not tolerate summer heat well, it is preferable to sow lettuce in the ground at the end of April or in May in order to be able to harvest before mid-July. Whether planted in full sun or partial shade, this leafy vegetable grows well in light, cool soil that has been well loosened and amended with a little compost.
bok choy
Photo courtesy, All America Selections “Asian Delight” bok choy is commonly referred to as bok choy.Bok choy – also called bok choy – is a close Asian relative of cabbage that has white stems and veins.
This plant known for its cold tolerance can be grown early in the season, in April and May. Early sowing prevents this vegetable from suffering from summer heat, which generally has the effect of initiating its flowering and altering its taste quality. 'Asian Delight', 'Canton' and 'Joi Choi' are a few varieties that do not flower as quickly when warm weather arrives.
Bok choy likes full sun and light, compost-rich, cool but well-drained soil. Transplantation being difficult, it is better to sow directly in the ground. Bok choy is harvested quickly, barely 45 to 50 days after sowing.
Leek
Photo courtesy, Thompson and Morgan 'Alaska', 'Below Zero' and 'Northern Lights' leek cultivars are hardy and easily survive our winters.Contrary to what many gardeners believe, the leek is not an annual vegetable, but rather a very hardy perennial vegetable plant. As in the case of asparagus and rhubarb, it can be sown once and leave a few plants in place in the vegetable garden each fall during harvest. Leeks can be sown early in mid-April or in May.
Leek plants left in place in the fall will bloom the following spring, producing pretty spheres of pink and white flowers. After flowering, the leek will produce a host of offshoots that will form a dense clump at its base. The following fall and winter, it will be enough to harvest a few stems from this clump, taking care to leave two or three in place for next year's harvest.
snow peas
Photo courtesy, whperron.com 'Little Snow Pea' is a dwarf snow pea cultivar that requires no staking.Since they tolerate cold particularly well, snow peas can be sown as early as mid-April in the south of our province. It is not necessary to wait for fruit production to consume this plant. Three to four weeks after sowing, the young shoots can already be harvested.
Potato
Photo courtesy, Albert Mondor The 'Russet Burbank' potato is an ancient cultivar with white flesh and russet brown skin that has been cultivated since 1872. The McDonald's restaurant chain mainly uses 'Russet Burbank' potatoes in the manufacture of its famous fries.Unlike most vegetable plants, potatoes are not propagated by seed. To obtain a harvest, you will therefore have to put tubers in the ground, bought at the supermarket or from a seed company. Place the tubers in a bright spot 10 to 15 days before planting outdoors – on your kitchen counter, for example – to allow them to sprout. Then you can plant them in the ground in May when the dandelion flowers, which is about two to three weeks before the last expected frost.
You can plant the small tubers directly in the ground without having to cut them. However, larger tubers should be sliced into egg-sized pieces that include at least one young shoot each. Don't forget to coat the wounds with sulfur before planting your tubers. The tubers should be placed at a depth of about 10 cm and be spaced 30 cm apart. Leave a little more than 60 cm between the rows. The potato likes light, deep and rich soils, located in full sun. Before planting, enrich the soil with compost.
Beet
Photo courtesy, Jacques BourdonBurpee's Golden Beet produces tasty golden yellow roots.Sowing and planting beets can be done a few weeks before the last spring frosts, which is as early as the end of April in the region.
Beets like full sun and well-drained, compost-amended clay soil. Seed should be planted about 13 mm (1/2 in.) deep. The beets are usually harvested 60 days after sowing, but the young leaves can also be harvested just 15 to 20 days after germination, in order to eat them in salads.
Radish
Photo courtesy, terrepromise.caTo put some color on your plate, sow colorful radish varieties such as “Cherry Belle”, “Hailstone”, “Helios” and “Purple Plum”.Since they tolerate cold particularly well, radishes are among the vegetables that can be sown the earliest in the vegetable garden, as soon as the ground thaws in April. As their growth is very fast, we can hope to harvest the radishes only thirty days after sowing.
Salsify
Photo courtesy, lasocietedesplantes.comSalsify is very easy to grow in a northern climate like ours.Salsify is a vegetable with a long, yellowish-white root very similar to that of a carrot. Simply roasted in butter, salsify is simply irresistible.
This plant is sown in the vegetable garden at the end of April or in May and is grown in much the same way as carrots. Salsify performs best in clay soils, however, provided they have been amended with compost. It is a very hardy, biennial or short-lived perennial vegetable that can survive our harsh winters.
perennial arugula
Photo courtesy, JeantostiPerennial arugula flowers are also edible.The false rocket diplotaxis, also called perennial rocket, has characteristics similar to those of the typical rocket. However, this plant native to Europe is perennial in our climate (zone 4 b) and it is easier to grow than the latter. In addition, in late spring and early summer, it produces small white flowers that attract bees and are edible just like its foliage.
Perennial arugula can be sown or planted in the vegetable garden in late April or early May. Grown in full sun in clay soil, it gives excellent results and is generally little attacked by insect pests.
Protect your plants and seedlings from frost
Courtesy photo, Albert MondorIn order to build a cold layer, opt for cedar or oak and make sure to cover the internal part of the walls with extruded polystyrene or with a thick geotextile membrane, ideally plasticized. It is also possible to burn the wood that will be in contact with the ground using a torch in order to prevent bacteria and fungi from decomposing the wood.Although most of the vegetables presented in this article can withstand temperatures below freezing, it is better to cover seedlings and young plants with an agrotextile if there is a risk of frost.
Agrotextiles are white fabrics resembling sails, used mainly to protect crops from attacks by insects and birds, without however preventing the sun's rays from reaching the plants and reducing their photosynthetic capacity.
Some agrotextiles are insulating and allow the plant to maintain a temperature around 5°C higher than the surrounding air. Thus, if the outside temperature drops below the freezing point, the plants covered with an agrotextile are simply not affected by the frost.
Courtesy photo, Albert MondorVegetable plants protected from the cold by an agrotextile.There are several ways to cover edible plants with an agrotextile, but the simplest method is certainly to arrange it on metal poles or flexible plastic pipes.
Another effective technique for starting the outdoor urban agriculture season early is the use of a cold frame. It is in fact a wooden or composite wood formwork 30 to 50 cm high, bottomless, fixed or transportable, which is covered with a window or any other translucent plastic material (polycarbonate, polypropylene corrugated [coroplast], etc.). The window or the material that covers the cold layer can be tilted towards the south, but this is not absolutely necessary.
The cold layer can be built in several sections, which are superimposed according to the height of the cultivated plants. In sunny weather and when the temperature is hot, it is very important to open the cold layer to allow ventilation, and thus avoid condensation and a harvest of cooked vegetables! In the evening, the window must be completely closed. Don't forget to cover your cold layer with straw or a thick blanket if a very severe frost is announced.
Find the expertise and tips of horticulturist Albert Mondor compiled in his gardening manual Le nouveau potager. The edible garden for all spaces, published by Éditions du Journal.
Courtesy photoThe new vegetable garden. The edible garden for all spaces, by Albert Mondor, Les Éditions du Journal, 256 pages.
