English Peas, Spring Onions and Roasted Almonds

Just cooked English peas, sautéd spring onions and roasted, salted almonds are a delicious combination of tender sweet, sweet pungent, and crunchy just salty. You can set this side dish next to grilled fish or chicken or mashed potatoes and a roast. It's...

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Warm Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for May

Spring flowers like sweet peas will spill over into the garden this month. The roses will have heady days in May and the time for warm-weather vegetables like beans and peppers and tomatoes is very close.

Warm-weather vegetable starts can be transplanted into the kitchen garden probably by mid month and direct sowing of seeds will not be far behind once the soil has warmed. Beans will do best after the soil has reached 55ºF (13ºC) and corn will take off after the soil has reached 65ºF (18ºC).

You can minimize transplant shock if you hold off putting melons and summer and winter squash seedlings in the garden until a week or so after the last frost. Peppers and eggplants can be transplanted into the garden two or three weeks after the last frost.

Herbs starts like dill, Green oregano, sweet marjoram, cilantro, rosemary, sage, summer and winter thyme, and garlic chives can be transplanted into the garden this month. You might want to wait just a bit longer before planting basil and lemon grass.

Here is a kitchen garden guide for warm regions—growing zones 7-11—for the month of May.

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Cool Region Kitchen Garden Alamanac for May

The weather in cool northern regions can remain unsettled even in May. Remember that both the soil and air temperature are important when planting the kitchen garden. Few seeds will germinate if the soil temperature is below 45ºF (7ºC) and warm-weather crops are not going to thrive until the night temperatures consistently stay above 50ºF (10ºC).

By the end of the month--or two to three weeks after your last frost, your kitchen garden will be able to welcome cucumbers, bush and pole beans, and tomatoes. In the meantime you can get these crops going in a greenhouse or coldframe or in the kitchen window. If you get the seedlings growing now, you’ll enjoy an earlier harvest next summer.

Strawberries can be planted now. June-bearing-type strawberries are vigorous and spread runners rapidly and should be producing in June. Everbearing-type strawberries will fruit in June and again later in the fall. If you are looking for the easiest to grow, try Alpine strawberries.

Cool-weather crops such as peas (see their blooms above) should be ready for harvest later this month or in June before the weather warms. Keep you eye on cauliflower and Brussels sprouts to get them out of the garden at their peak and before they bolt in warm weather.

Here is a kitchen garden guide for cool regions—growing zones 3-6—for the month of May.

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Cool Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for April

When the crocus and narcissus bloom, the soil is growing warm enough to begin working in the kitchen garden. And if you want a sure sign that winter in your area is past, look for the first leafing out of the birch trees and the bloom of the lilacs.

Don’t rush spring if you are in a region that is just seeing the last of the snow melt. It’s too early to be in the kitchen garden if the soil is partly frozen, muddy or wet. But changes will come quickly this month; April is the month of greatest change in the garden. Spring blossoms will arrive in the north and so will many song birds.

In the United States, the danger of frost is likely to continue this month in all or part of the states in the Northeast, Rocky Mountains and Plains regions, and some parts of the Pacific Northwest,. These regions include planting zones 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Here is a kitchen garden guide for cold and cool regions for the month of April:

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Warm Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for April

April is a month of quick transition in the garden. Frost and possible extreme weather—such as snow—can still come in April, but so can unseasonably warm weather in many regions.

If the daffodils and tulips have bloomed and the lilacs are in bloom in your region, the time has come to sow directly in the kitchen garden. By the middle of the month you may be able to begin planting successive cool-weather crops, and by the end of April in the warmest regions you may be able to transplant out tomatoes, eggplant, and other warm-weather crops.

The timing of planting is important in the kitchen garden. Frost and cool weather can harm some crops, others thrive in cooler weather. If you are looking to get the most out of your kitchen garden, successive plantings of crops is a way to extend the season. Plant as early as possible and then replant every week to 10 days. You will have an unending harvest later. Fast growing crops are best for successive planting: lettuce, radishes, spinach, chard, peas, beets, and carrots in cool weather, and later string beans and sweet corn.

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Cold Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for March

Spring has not come to most parts of the far north—zones 3-6, but you can still get some work done before spring-like weather arrives.

Here is a checklist of things to do in the kitchen garden during March in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere:

Plan and design. Map where snow melts first in the garden and mark these spots for planting early crops.

Planting bed and soil preparation. As soon as the soil is dry enough to work, clean up the garden and prepare the soil for planting cool-weather crops. First remove any winter debris or winter mulches, then take a soil sample and have it tested. You can renew most vegetable growing beds by simply adding well-rotted manure and compost.

Few seeds will germinate in cold soil where the temperature is below 45ºF (7ºC). Use a soil thermometer to check how warm your soil is.

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Mild Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for March

Spring-like weather has arrived in most of the mild-winter regions of the northern hemisphere from zones 7 through 9. So now is the time to get growing in the kitchen garden.

Your kitchen garden is a place where you can enjoy the garden as both a gardener and a cook. Make your kitchen garden as delightful as any other room in your home. It's a place where you can grow both vegetables, small fruits, herbs, and edible flowers for the pleasure of the table and the simple delight of watching them grow, blossom, and fruit.

As soon as the ground can be worked in your kitchen garden, prepare beds, borders, and vegetable areas. The danger of frost may continue in some areas, but as the weather warms get your garden ready and begin planting.

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Mild Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for February

Preparation for spring can get under way in your kitchen garden this month in cool- and mild-winter regions. There may still be snow on the ground in some areas, and freezing weather and the danger of frost can continue into March. But if the weather is turning towards spring, now is the time to ready your garden. In the northern hemisphere, cool- and mild-winter regions include zones 7-9.

Here is a checklist of things to do during February in zones 7-9:

Plan and design. Before planting, sketch a base plan for your kitchen garden. Consider the location of house, garage, shed, fences, walls, and large trees that will cast shadows across the garden. Vegetables require at least 6 hours of sun each day to thrive. Locate your garden near a water source if you live in a region with dry summers.

Seed orders. Order seeds and plants for spring planting now.

Soil preparation. Prepare garden beds as soon as the ground can be worked. Test your soil. Add lime if your soil is too acid. Mow winter cover crops and turn them under if the soil is dry enough to cultivate. Spread compost over beds that you will plant.

Check winter mulch around perennial vegetables, brambles, and fruit trees and add more if needed. Press frost-heaved plants back into the soil.

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Cold Region Kitchen Garden Almanac for February

Preliminary preparation for the spring kitchen garden can begin this month in cold-winter regions. Snow and freezing weather is likely to persist in these areas for another month or two. But begin thinking about spring now and when the weather turns your garden will be ready. In the northern hemisphere, cold-winter regions include zones 3-6.

Here is a checklist of things to do during February in zones 3-6:

Plan and design. Map where snow melts first in the garden and mark these spots for planting early crops.

Seed orders. Study on-line and mail-order catalogs and order seeds and plants for spring.

Outdoors. Check winter mulch around perennials, vines, and trees and add more if needed. Press frost-heaved plants back into the soil.

Soil preparation. Prepare garden beds as soon as the ground can be worked. Test your soil. Add lime if your soil needs it.

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