Lettuce Growing Tips: The optimal temperature to germinate lettuce seed is 65°F. Lettuce grows best in cool weather and sunny locations. Spring, mid-summer, and early fall are the times of year to plant lettuce, but you can grow lettuce in the summer even in warm regions if you choose heat-tolerant and bolt-resistant varieties. There are
The flowering of trees, shrubs, and perennial plants is determined by day length and temperature (this also applies to the lifecycle of insects and animals. You can use the bloom time of shrubs and trees to tell you when it is safe to plant vegetables in the garden. Look at blooming trees and shrubs in
Onion seedlings Bulb onions require a long growing season—3 to 4 months. Onions are best planted in late winter or early spring for summer through autumn harvest. Green onions or scallions can be harvested about 2 months after sowing. Onions and Day-length: An onion’s ability to form a bulb is influenced by the hours of
Parsnip seedlings Parsnips require a long growing season and are best planted in spring for autumn or winter harvest. In warm-winter regions, sow parsnips in late autumn for harvest the next spring. Mature parsnips store well in the ground as long as the ground does not freeze. Frost and freezing temperatures improve the flavor of
Grow peas during the winter in mild-winter regions. In cold-winter regions grow peas in the spring and sometimes in the fall. Peas and temperature Spring sowing peas: The optimum seed starting soil temperature for peas is 75°F; this makes growing peas for fall harvest a strong option when they are planted 55 to 70 days
Peanut sprout Peanuts are a warm-weather crop. They require a long frost-free growing season to mature. If you can grow melons in your garden, you can likely grow peanuts. Start peanuts in the garden after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to 70°F (21°C) or greater. Peanuts can be started
Pea seedling Peas are a cool-weather crop. Sow pea seeds in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked or in late summer. Grow peas so that they come to harvest when the weather is cool. Peas can be classified by how large they grow: dwarf, medium, or tall. The taller the plant
Sweet and smooth baby beets–red, yellow, and orange–added to sugary sugar snap peas and sweet baby carrots tossed with a tangy orange zest dressing and you have a seasonal salad that says Spring! You’ll have to search to find someone who doesn’t like this salad. Baby beets, sugar snap peas, and baby carrots will hit
Spring cabbage—a near misnomer because spring cabbage is commonly planted in autumn—will suffer from a few of the pests and bolting that can plague cabbage planted in spring. Set out cabbage seedlings in fall while the soil and air temperatures are still warm to start plants growing for harvest next spring. Spring cabbage started in
The lady beetle is a beneficial insect that will eat some pest insects. There are natural, organic ways to deal with pest and disease problems in the garden. Many of these ways have proved effective over hundreds and even thousands of years. Today these techniques are often called integrated pest management (IPM) or organic pest
