Although nowhere near the Master Gardener level, I’m a somewhat seasoned gardener. In fact, I’ve sown many vegetable/flower/herb seeds after the danger of frost has passed in the mid-spring of early May, planted through the summer months, and also well into mid-fall, when I annually bed down garlic cloves to slowly grow into harvestable bulbs by the following June. Recently I decided to indulge my love of milkweed, the host plant for Monarch butterflies, and purchased eight of the possible hundreds of varieties of milkweed seed. Upon their receipt in February, I will scatter them on the winter ground, so they will get the freeze they need to germinate this spring. It’s truly satisfying to grow some of my own food, and help tend a happy habitat of eye-catching, perennial wildflowers for birds and insects of all sorts, all the while being intimately engaged with the natural cycles of the seasons here on Mother Earth.
What I have shied away from is trying my hand at very early spring gardening. This is because the abrupt change between winter and spring makes the prospect of success with food crops a bit dicey. But, mid-Missouri is in plant hardiness zone 6, which means there are some sturdy veggies that can be started, even as early as late March or the beginning of April. After perusing the fruit and vegetable gardening books in our collection here at DBRL, I’ve put together a booklist of the Midwest region that can help inform and encourage folks (like you and me!) to take on some early spring gardening. Another way to get an early start on your garden is to attend New Cool Season Garden Crops, a program being offered at the Callaway Library Branch in Fulton on Tuesday, February 19, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Members of the Callaway Master Gardeners will provide information on cool season garden crops to plant in early spring as well as tips to help ensure a successful crop. Please join us and get an early start on your garden!
Image credit: Pshab, Winter Peas via Flickr (license)
