It’s the first part of May here in the Rockies, the weather is warming up, and it seems like time to get out planting! Note the key words, “seems like.” It sure does seem like it should be the right time, but it just isn’t. The weather is so unpredictable here this time of year, that although the forecast currently looks warm enough for the next 10 days, you just never know what may happen. Last year (2022) we received about 28” of snow between May 20-24, other years we’ve had snow in June, and it can happen any year, even after several very warm days.
In our earlier years of gardening here, we did everything we could to get an early start. We were successful at keeping plants alive, but it was a lot of extra work. We made hoops for our raised beds to allow covering them with plastic, frost cloth or shade cloth as needed. We started several plants under our grow lights and in the greenhouse to give them a good start, then transplanted the cold-tolerant plants out as early as the first or second week of May. All said and done, those plants did not die and produced nice, edible veggies.
But truth be told it was a lot of work covering things nightly and other plants of the same variety planted out just 2-3 weeks later when the weather was more consistently above freezing caught up quickly to the first group. In many cases the second group produced healthier, larger, better produce. Think broccoli, cabbage, other brassicas, lettuce or spinach.
Over the years I have become less prone to race out to the garden, and this year I am even more relaxed. Yes, I have a small number of those plants growing in the greenhouse for a good start, but I am not in a hurry to transplant them outside. By waiting just one or two additional weeks, I know they will do well and grow fast once outside, and I won’t have to worry so much about covering them every night, uncovering them in the mornings, or running out to be sure they’re protected from hail.
While I wait for the right time to plant, there is plenty of other work to do getting the raised beds ready by adding compost & amendments to the soil, starting seeds indoors, pruning & removing greenhouse plants to add to our composter, & tending the greenhouse plants that soon be transplanted.
I’m also reviewing all my old garden notes and putting them into a new format on the computer so they’ll be easier to access and keep up to date.