Getting an Early Start on Vegetable Gardening Without a Greenhouse

If you live in a northern climate like I do, you’ve probably discovered that the vegetable growing season is quite short. Freezing spring temperatures means that summer vegetable gardens really can’t go into the ground until June 1. By October, the nights are freezing again leaving us at best only 4-1/2 months of moderate temperatures in which to grow a bumper crop of produce for our families.

Having a greenhouse is one way to start gardening early. Here’s two other methods I use for getting a jump on our vegetable garden.

Include spring crops in your gardening plans.

Not all vegetables require hot temperatures and long summer days. Certain vegetables known as “spring vegetables” prefer the cooler temperatures of April and May. Spring vegetables can be planted directly into the soil as early as March and depending on the nighttime temperatures, may start producing food as early as late April. For families interested in getting the most of their gardens, a rotational planting of summer vegetables behind the spring ones will double a garden’s output.

Since temperatures vary by region, it’s best to check with the County Extension Office to learn their recommendations of vegetables for spring planting. Where I live, spring vegetables include artichokes, rhubarb, asparagus, carrots, beets, radishes, green onions, spinach, peas, turnips, and salad greens.

Start plants early indoors.

Long before I had a greenhouse, I was starting my summer vegetable seeds indoors in front of a sunny window. Starting seeds indoors is easy — keeping them alive until they are ready to plant outdoors is a bit more challenging! It helps to remember that seeds started indoors require the very same conditions as ones that are planted directly in the ground. Here’s some basic tips for starting your seeds indoors:

Use sterilized potting mix. Even though make my own potting mix for outdoor plantings, I always buy sterilized potting mix for any seeds I start indoors. Sterilized potting mix is less dense than the homemade potting mix which helps with root growth, and is also free of fungi that can kill off developing plants.
Keep them watered. Moisture is the key ingredient in getting a seed to sprout. The soil should be moist but not soaked. For best results, I set my planter trays in water so that the soil can soak up water as needed.

Provide adequate sunlight. Until the seedlings sprout, it’s fine to leave them in a sunny window. Once they begin to grow however, they will need more light than what your window can provide — at least 14 hours of light a day. I use a grow light on my developing seedlings which prevents them from turning tall and spindly.

Most seeds can be started indoors about 4-8 weeks ahead of their growing season. Once they’ve been “hardened off” and planted into the ground, you’ll be enjoying fresh produce in eight weeks or less.

More by this contributor:

How to warm the soil in your vegetable garden.
Rainy day garden chores
Green ways to keep the weeds out of your garden.


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