6 Best Vegetables to Plant in Early Spring
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Vegetables to Plant in Early Spring
In early spring, the temperature can seem very cold and the soil can be very humid for many vegetables, but there are a handful of hardy performers that can get into the soil.
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As a bonus, there are fewer bugs and diseases in early spring, so your veggies should start off right. Take a look at six vegetables you can plant before the last frost date has passed.
Warning
The leaf part of rhubarb is toxic to humans and other animals. You can still compost rhubarb leaves, even if they are a bit poisonous if eaten. Oxalic acid crystals disperse in the soil long before other plants absorb them.
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Seeing the first tender asparagus, the size of a pencil, entering the garden is a spring ritual. You will usually see the first sprouts when the soil temperature reaches about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Asparagus is a perennial vegetable. You can basically plant once and harvest for many years. You have to dedicate space to them, but you can expect excellent returns every year, for 15 years or more.
A ripe asparagus harvest can last for months. Plant the crowns 4-6 weeks before the last frost date. You can also plant seeds, but the seedlings will need another year to settle.
- USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Sandy, loamy
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
The cool, humid weather of spring is a great time to grow lettuce, and there are hundreds of varieties. Romaine and Butterhead are the most cold-tolerant varieties.
You will have the first and longest harvest of the varieties cut and distributed. Although the heat, drought, and longer days will cause the lettuce to swell, you will probably have time for two or three successive harvests.
Plant a new crop every two to three weeks. Choose slow vine varieties or varieties with different maturity rates for a continuous harvest.
To protect lettuce from frost, cover the garden with sheets or insulated towels or blankets available at any garden center. These coatings will help you in the short term, but if the frost persists for days, you may lose your crop.
- USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, amended soil
Peas (Pisum sativum)
There is a tradition of planting the first peas on St. Patrick's Day, although some Americans are unable to participate in that tradition due to the snow that covers their gardens.
Even if you can't leave early, peas sown in late April quickly catch up with peas sown in March. Peas do not like low temperatures, nor do they like heat.
Pick their favorite peas (snap peas, snap peas, or peas) and have them plant them. Use a trellis to support the vines and facilitate harvesting.
You can create additional seedlings in early May or plant varieties with different maturity rates to extend the harvest. Don't miss the window of opportunity.
- USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 11 depending on the variety
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Needs: Varies depending on the variety
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Rhubarb is a vegetable that you can cook like a fruit (think rhubarb pie) and is the first sweet "fruit" of the season. It is easy to grow taller.
Once your bed is made, you can expect a rhubarb crop every spring for decades to come. Plant dormant crowns in early spring. Remove flower stalks for the first year to allow the plant to grow.
The harvest can begin in the second year after the installation of the plant. About every five years, you need to dig up the grass and divide it.
The division is best done in early spring, as soon as the soil is warm enough to process and before new tender shoots appear. This division gives new life to the plant.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Rich amended soil
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Spinach must be grown in a cold climate, otherwise, it will quickly turn to seeds. There are varieties that claim to be resistant to the vine, but sooner or later (usually earlier) they all go to seed.
Spinach grows very fast and you don't have to wait long to taste it. To extend the harvest, you can plant new spinach directly into the ground every week or two, until the average date of the last frost.
Use slow-turning varieties for later planting. Keeping the plants well watered will help slow sprouting. Another great advantage of spinach is that it can be grown in the shade of plants that will start to take off as soon as the spinach begins to wilt.
- USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Needs: Well-draining, fertile soil with a neutral pH
Beetroot (Beta vulgaris)
In growing zones 3-7, you can plant beet seeds about a month before the last frost in spring. Beets are semi-hardy vegetables, which means they can survive repeated light frosts in the 30 to 32 degree Fahrenheit range.
Beets are grown from seed take 7-10 weeks to mature, but you can plant seedlings indoors or harvest some of the planted young greens straight from the garden to eat while the roots continue to grow underground.
Beets really like the sun and constant humidity. Avoid clumping plants to allow air circulation.
- USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Light, sandy loam, well-drained
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Last update on 2025-03-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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