Would you like to have fresh produce from April to October? Oswego is in zone 5b and our latest Frost is usually the second week of May. This means that vegetables that freeze should not be planted before this time. However, there are some cool hearty veggies that will do very well in the warmer garden soil of a raised garden bed.
This year I planted the first day of April, and I used my garden dome for the cold freezing nights. Cool season vegetables include broccoli, lettuce, radishes, arugula, peas, bok choy and many others. Most notably, tomatoes and peppers are not cool season veggies. They may survive under a dome in cooler weather, however they will not thrive until temperatures are above freezing steadily.
You do not need to start these cool season vegetables inside unless you are particularly excited to get started in the winter! Some of the easiest veggies to grow directly from seed in the garden are radishes, peas, lettuce, and Arugula. Keep in mind, that we have very warm days in April too. On those days make sure you open the dome so it doesn’t get too hot!
The picture and this post was taken the second week of April. It’s a lot of fun to see them emerge so early!
Remember that gardening is a process and it’s all about finding joy as you go! I may have been ok planting in the dome March, but I just haven’t tried yet. So, be creative try new things and don’t worry if something doesn’t work.
Rose of Sharon DeVos
www.roseofsharonsgarden.com builds raised garden beds and greenhouse domes for gardeners in Oswego, Yorkville, Aurora, Montgomery, and the surrounding area.