Cool
and Warm Season Vegetables
Cool
season means that night temperatures stay above 25ºF and below 60ºF. What is
the length of a cool season? It differs from year to year, but it can range
from less than 60 days in the far North and Deep South to more than 100 days
elsewhere.
In
order to have a constant supply of vegetables, it is best to stagger sowings. A
good rule is to plant seeds every 10-14 days. To time it more exactly, check
the first seedlings such as radishes
and spinach to see if they have their first set of true leaves. If they do,
this would be a good time to sow the second plantings. For peas it is best to
sow the second crop once the first peas are as tall as your index
finger.
Some
cool season vegetables that are grown for one season are broccoli,
beets, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, peas and turnips. Asparagus,
chives, horseradish, rhubarb and shallots are cool season
perennials.
The
warm season is when the summer nights are at least 15º cooler than the days.
The soil is then warm enough to foster the growth of tender seeds, such as corn,
tomato, and pepper plants. Once the fruit begins to form, it needs up to two
months of frost-free weather to mature and ripen.
Be
sure to harvest your warm season vegetables as soon as they are ripe. This way
the plants will produce more crops. Even cucumbers will stop growing fruit
until the ripe cucumbers are removed. As the season draws to a close, cover the
plants on cold, frosty nights.
