Gardening with Allen: Hardy vegetables can withstand light frost

I read that there are some vegetables that can be planted early because they will withstand light frost. Which ones are those and how soon can they be planted?

There are a number of vegetables which are hardy down to the mid-twenties that can be planted in March and April. Many gardeners know that pea seed does much better when planted early. It is easy to remember which vegetables are hardy to light frost. If you eat the root, leaves or flower buds (cauliflower and broccoli) it is hardy. The one exception to that rule is potatoes, which are often planted early anyway because it takes several weeks for them to sprout and show above the soil surface. If you eat the fruit or seeds, it is tender to light frost. The one notable exception to that rule is peas and fava beans. One tender vegetable I plant by early April is sweet corn. Corn is from the grass family, so even if new sprouts are singed by frost, it will keep growing. The average last frost date in Vancouver is mid-April, with later dates in higher elevations.

I plant most of the hardy vegetables from seed, but you will find plants of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and sometimes even peas available in stores by early March.

There are also many flowers that are hardy to light frost, but you just have to look those up or learn them one by one. Of course all perennial flowers are hardy. Some popular annual flowers that are hardy include alyssum, petunia, calendula, snapdragon, carnation, dianthus, dusty miller, blue salvia and sweet pea. Many of these are available as transplants by mid-March.

Avoid planting tender vegetables and flowers until late April unless you can protect them from frost. I usually wait until the weather warms a little more in May before I plant tender vegetables and flowers.

If you have planted tomatoes or other tender vegetables inside for later outside planting, place them outside on days that are above 50 degrees. The bright sun and cool temperatures will encourage them to grow thicker stems. I sometimes purchase small tomato plants this time of year and give them this outside day-inside night treatment after shifting them into larger pots.

If vegetable garden and annual flower planting areas are arranged in beds so that you do not walk on them, you may not even need to till or spade the soil. I often use a hoe to loosen the soil in raised vegetable beds for seed planting rows. If there are left over flower or vegetable plants or small weeds, I will turn the soil over with a shovel or small tiller. If flower beds are clean and free of plants and weeds, I will simply use my hand trowel to dig holes for individual flower plants. My soil is easy to dig because of years of adding my own compost or other soil amendments and a yearly application of bark mulch.

Related Stories