GARDENISTAS.....IT'S ALMOST TIME TO PLANT! • Dirt & Denim

Dear fellow GARDENISTAS…..{hey I like that word}…..we had some sun breaks yesterday!

PS…..that term I didn’t learn or understand until we moved to the Pacific Northwest. Translation…..it’s almost always cloudy with a few teasers of sunshine until summer.

So yesterday…..with those few sun breaks…..and temps in the upper 40s…..I put my little seedlings on the top of a fence panel so they could enjoy some sun!

These little guys are basil, greek oregano, chives, leeks, cabbage and parsley. They’ve been growing in the “barn” for a month. Yes, I know my chives look tired.

My spinach seedlings bolted with the heat mats. They don’t like heat. Note to self: unplug heat mats when spinach seedlings get large.

I hope these babies were smiling outside with fresh air and warmer temps. They had a brief fling with the sun…..but now they’re back in the barn with their grow lights. Fake…..I know. You gotta do what you gotta do here in snow country.

Well now…..let’s get to the specifics of what you need to know. By the way…..you gardenistas in AZ or NM or FL can totally ignore what I’m about to say here. You can grow anything year round…..well sort of…..we won’t talk about July and August and September. Sorry. I’ve been there. Maybe you need an air conditioned greenhouse. Another post. Another time.

Let’s start:

1. It would be good to know your USDA plant hardiness zone. Does that sound official? It’s good to know for when you buy seeds or plants…..what zone they’ll grow in…..but other than than I don’t think it’s especially worthwhile.

Put in your zip code here to find out your zone.

2. OK…..this is a great calendar calculator…..put in your zip code and it’ll figure out exactly what to plant and when…..yeehaw! This website will tell you the dates to plant for both Spring and Fall. Below is a screenshot of where I started.

http://allthingsplants.com/apps/calendar/

3. Johnny’s website will tell you when to plant depending on the date you put in. I’ve decided to be somewhat optimistic……so I put in May 20 rather than June 1. I’d sort of prefer to be ahead of the game instead of too late. We’ll see what happens.

Johnny’s