Spring Gardening Advice

by Misha Vega

As an avid gardener and seller of plant starts, people often ask me, “What should I be planting in my garden in the early spring?” We all love to get things in the ground so we can start eating fresh salads again, after the roots, squash, and hardy brassicas of winter. The good news is, there is plenty to plant in early spring, both from seeds and from starts. Keep in mind that these recommendations are relevant to my climate here in the Anderson Valley, so you may need to adjust these ideas if you live somewhere in the county where it is colder or more mild.

Some plants I direct sow by putting seeds directly into the garden soil, beginning in early March and continuing through April. These include radishes such as French Breakfast or Easter Egg, which are quick to grow and delicious in spring salads. Snow and snap peas should be started in February or March, as April can be too late. You can either direct sow them or seed them in pots and transplant them. This can help them not get mown down by various garden insects that love pea shoots. If you do plant them in your garden from seed, sow them closer than the package says so losing some to bugs isn’t an issue. You can also seed cilantro, arugula, mizuna, tatsoi, and other quick salad or Asian greens this time of year. I like planting them in “bands” where I seed them a bit heavier in a 2” wide strip of soil. That way I can cut them a few times for baby greens. This also means they can be eaten more quickly than if they are sown farther apart, which requires waiting for a larger plant to harvest. Roots to plant in mid-to-late March include beets, turnips (I love the small Japanese varieties such as “Hakurei”), and carrots.

Starts that can be transplanted in March or April include lettuce, fennel, cabbage, alliums (like onions), and broccoli. Also, plant potatoes! This is a fun crop to add to your garden. They are very easy to plant and exciting to harvest later in the summer, especially for children.

Remember to vigilantly protect the seeds and plants against slugs (I do use Sluggo) and to cover your beds with a row cover (light frost protection) to keep things warmer, improve your results, and protect the baby seedlings from birds—a common spring predator of emerging plants.

Enjoy your spring successes! While many people are just beginning to clear out their gardens for the summer crops in late April, you can be eating fresh radishes and greens and watching your alliums and brassicas grow with thelengthening days. As someone who loves growing and eating plants, a spring garden (and a spring salad) are some of my favorite things.

Spring Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch radishes
3 green onions
mixed garden greens
butterhead lettuce
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
feta cheese

Optional: add sliced fennel in with the radishes and green onions and/or add avocado and some cooked quinoa for more of a meal.

Dressing: Combine lemon juice and olive oil in equal portions with a bit of salt and finely chopped shallot (optional). Mix this together separately before adding to salad.

INSTRUCTIONS

Finely slice the radishes and green onions and place in ice water for 20 minutes (this makes them crisp and takes away a bit of their ‘bite’). Toast the pumpkin seeds in a bit of oil on the stove. Add 1 teaspoon (or to taste) of tamari or soy sauce to the hot pan to season them when they are finished. Leave in the pan to cool. Assemble salad with greens, radishes, green onions, and feta. Add dressing and put pumpkin seeds on top.

Purchase Misha’s starts at Boontberry Farm
13981 Hwy. 128 Boonville
boontberry.com
Misha Vega is a florist and homestead farmer who sells vegetable and flower starts at Boontberry Farm, a natural food store in Boonville. Check out her flower business at philoflora.com and on instagram @philo.flora.flowers.
Photos courtesy of Misha Vega