Submitted photo Now that we are almost into May, seeds of cold weather vegetables such as snow peas, radishes, mustard greens, collards, onion sets and leeks can be planted directly in the soil if they mature in around 60 days.

The main difference between spring and summer vegetable plantings is the temperature of the soil and the maturity time of the plant. All cold weather plants must mature before hot weather arrives in June or July.

Early spring vegetables can germinate and grow in soil temperature of 40°F. Summer vegetables need at least 60°F soil temperature for the seeds to germinate and plants to grow.

A soil thermometer can be bought in any garden shop. Push the thermometer into the soil 2-3 inches to check the temperature for seeds to germinate. Soil temperature of 40°F 4-6 inches deep is needed for transplants to grow. If you don’t have a soil thermometer, you can chart the night temperature for seven to 10 nights.

If the night temperature doesn’t go below freezing (32 degrees) it is safe to plant your cold season seeds and/or plants. You can look up the soil temperatures at our OSU weather stations at http://go.osu.edu/weatherstations. The closest ones are in Ashtabula and Wooster.

SOIL PREPARATION

Another important thing you must consider is the condition of your soil. The soil cannot be waterlogged. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it in your fist. It should not drip water. Hopefully you cleaned up your garden last fall by getting rid of garden debris and solved any drainage issues. Apply an all purpose garden fertilizer to the soil and rake it in only a few inches, based on your soil test results. You want the fertilizer to be where the roots of the plant will grow.

PLANTING COLD WEATHER SEEEDS AND PLANTS IN THE GARDEN

Remember the soil should be 40°F to plant seeds and transplants. Check your seed packets to see how long it takes to germinate the seeds and grow them large and strong enough to be transplanted outside. This process usually takes about a month.

Vegetable seeds for planting indoors and are easily transplanted in the garden are broccoli, cabbage cauliflower, lettuce and spinach. Peas, beets, celery, and chard are more difficult to transplant in the garden.

Most root vegetables don’t transplant easily. If you had more time, the seeds planted indoors around March 1 are beets, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, leaf lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, parsley and spinach. Don’t use a heat mat under theses seeds because they need the cold temperatures to germinate. These small plants can be put out into the garden around the first week of April.

Now that we are almost into May, seeds of other cold weather vegetables still can be planted directly in the soil if they mature in around 60 days. Snow peas, radishes, mustard greens, collards, onion sets and leek seeds can be planted directly into the soil.

Perennial vegetables like rhubarb (plants) and asparagus (roots) still can be planted in the ground. When digging to put the vegetables in, make sure there is no water sitting in the hole or the roots will rot.

Happy planting!