Despite our recent wintry week April is National Garden Month so now is a great time to think about starting a garden and all the planning and choices that involves.  Most basically, “What should I grow?” depends on what you want to eat or to see in your yard, and the kind of work you can do.  Soil & climate conditions in Vermont place some limits on our choices but we do have a great selection of hardy fruits, vegetables, and flowers that do very well here.  We are in Agricultural Zone 4 or 5, depending on location and altitude so we need to pay attention to the “Hardiness” of what we plant, especially perennials. We also need to pay attention to invasive “Jumping Worms” to limit their spread.

Thinking long-term?  Some of the perennials that do well here and that you should establish in the spring include Asparagus, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Elderberries, & Blackberries.  Perennials are started with young plants or “crowns” grown by nurseries and usually take 2 or 3 years to mature into production.  If you don’t have them growing yet, this is may be the year to start.  Choose 1 or 2 that you like, locate a place they can grow undisturbed, get high quality plants (don’t waste your time with cheap ones at big box outlets), and get them started.  They will reward you for your effort for many years to come!

Most perennials do best with full sun and well drained soil.  Planting means clearing weeds away, digging some holes, prepping the soil, planting and watering for a few weeks.  Forming a shallow “bowl” around the top of each plant will help hold water for their early growth. Raspberries, blackberries & blueberries do very well here and like acidic soil (pH 4-6) which is what we mostly have.  Add some soil Sulfur to the hole before planting to keep the soil acidic for years.  All perennials will benefit from a small scoop (about 1/2 cup) of rock phosphate or bone meal in the hole before planting.  These amendments are available in garden centers.  Once planted, a couple shovels of compost on the surface with feed them for the summer.

What about this year?  Annuals make up the bulk of our garden’s production and the choices are unending so you need to decide what you like and how much can you handle.  I’d like to suggest that you consider growing edibles that appear on the Environmental Working Group’s  Dirty Dozen list which includes strawberries, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, & apples/pears.  These are all great choices to grow organically in our region.  If you buy them in grocery stores they probably carry the highest levels of pesticide residues (unless you get USDA Organic) but you can produce your own without the added chemicals.  Grow your own and get fresh, healthy food!

Based on my own garden experience in Zone 4 I can recommend the following varieties that have done well in my garden.  Garden centers can also advise on other good varieties that are available: 

Any leaf or butterhead lettuces

All mesclun mixes

Kale (red or white Russian)

Spinach (Space, Olympia))

Arugula, mustards, & mizuna

Broccoli (Green super, Fiesta, Tendergreen)

Cauliflower (Snowbowl)

Cabbage (Storage)

Green beans (Fortex & EZ pick)

Sweet peas (Sugar Ann, Sugarsnap)

Tomatoes (Juliet, Big Beef, Sun Gold)

Peppers (King of North, New Ace)

Cucumbers (Suyo long, Marketmore)

Beets (Robin)

Carrots (Napoli, Bolero)

Onions (any sets available)

Potatoes (Green Mountain, Red Maria)

Winter squash (Spaghetti, Waltham butternut, Delicata)

Zucchini (Spineless Beauty)

Potatoes:  It’s too early to plant potatoes yet (wait until dandelions are in full bloom) but if you get your seed potatoes now you can “pre-sprout” them over the next 4-6 weeks in a dark-ish place.  That will provide an earlier harvest, reduce diseases, and increase yields.  More on this practice in the next article.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Cabbage:  spring crops of these should be planted indoors in mid-April so they will be about 4-5 weeks old when transplanting outside in May.

Try some herbs too:  parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, dill, oregano all grow well here.

Annual flowers:  wave & regular petunias, zinnias, begonias, nasturtium, geraniums, etc.

If you still need to buy your seeds, I suggest avoiding the “big box” & discount stores.  Good quality genetics in seeds are very important.  Cheap seeds will take as much space, nutrients, and hard work but can’t yield the same as better seeds. The small savings is not worth it. Local garden centers and some nurseries carry a great selection!

 What about Jumping Worms?

We have a new invasive pest in New England and here are some things to know and do.  These worms look similar to our common (non-native also) earthworms but can cause serious degradation of our soils and we need to try to limit their damage and spread.  There is a very helpful website from Vermont Invasives where you can learn more.  Also here a list of tips every gardener should know and use:

• Watch for juvenile worms this Spring – they emerge in April/May and populations should be apparent by June.  Remove and destroy any jumping worms found.  (NOT earthworms)
• Solarize! Solarize! Solarize! any purchased soil or compost coming onto your property under clear plastic or leave bags in the sun for 3 sunny days.
• Buy seeds or bare root plants whenever possible.
• Remove & dump soils from all potted plants purchased onto solarizing plastic and rinse roots thoroughly before planting.
• Do NOT apply any vermicides/pesticide as there are no labeled products approved at this time.

Compost:  Remember to compost your food and yard wastes for the best garden fertilizer.  Here’s an illustrated article from NPR about home composting and watch this short video to help you get started.  If you already have compost from last year now is a great time to start applying it to your planting areas.  No need to work it in, just spread ½ to 1 inch over the surface.

What are you seeing on in your garden?  Got ideas to share?  Questions? Please send them along in the Comments below.