Cold-Tolerant Veggies To Grow In Your Spring Garden
Several vegetables such as Swiss chard, beets, bok choy, carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, leeks, snow peas, and radishes are renowned for their ability to grow well in cool weather. The same goes for some herbs and edible flowers such as chives, tarragon, marjoram, mint, parsley, and pansies.
Depending on the region, these edible plants can be sown or planted outdoors in March or April, in the ground, in tubs or containers, on a sunny terrace or balcony. Harvest the crops throughout the spring season. With the cool spring temperatures, these edible plants may not grow as quickly as if you had grown them in late spring or early summer. In some cases, you will have to pick them as young shoots before they reach full maturity.
credit: Albert Mondor
Agrotextiles Protect Vegetables
Using agrotextiles is a great way to start the growing season earlier for several vegetables such as Swiss chard, beets, bok choi, summer cabbage, kale, lettuce, and radish. Insulating fabrics make the sowing or planting of these vegetables possible as soon as March in some regions.
An agrotextile is a light, white fabric resembling a veil. It is mainly used to protect crops from insect and bird attacks but does not prevent sunlight from hitting plants. Some agrotextiles have insulating properties and keep the temperature around the plant warmer than that of the surrounding air. So when the outside temperature drops slightly below freezing, plants covered with an agrotextile are not affected by frost.
credit: Albert Mondor
The Cold Frame: A Mini Greenhouse
Another useful technique for starting the urban outdoor farming season earlier is the use of a cold frame. It is a wooden, composite wood, or metal frame 30 to 50 cm high. There is no bottom, it can be fixed or transportable, and it is covered with a window or any other translucent plastic material (polycarbonate, corrugated polypropylene (coroplast), etc.). The window or the cloth covering the cold layer can be angled facing south, but this is unnecessary.
A cold frame is constructed in several sections, which are superimposed according to the cultivated plants’ height. In sunny weather and when the temperature rises above 10°C (50°F), it is essential to open the cold layer for ventilation to avoid condensation and a harvest of cooked vegetables! In the evening, you have to close the window completely. Do not forget to cover your cold layer with straw or a thick blanket if a very severe frost is announced.
credit: Albert Mondor
This type of shelter allows you to start the gardening season four to six weeks earlier. A cold frame can be used a few weeks earlier if you insulate the walls and install a heating cable on the ground. However, reserve a cold layer for growing plants of the Brassicaceae family, such as cabbages and kales, and root and leafy vegetables suitable for cool climates.
Albert Mondor
Passionate about environmental horticulture, urban agriculture, and extreme landscape design, Albert Mondor has practiced his craft for over 30 years and created numerous gardens in North America. In addition to teaching courses and lecturing at conferences across Canada, his weekly gardening column appears in the Journal de Montréal and the Journal de Québec since 1999. Albert recently published his tenth horticultural book, Le nouveau potager. He is a regular guest and contributor to radio and TV programs and hosts The Trendy Gardener spots broadcasted on Météo Média and online. In May 2014, Albert was awarded the prestigious Henry Teuscher Award, presented by the Montreal Botanical Gardens for his exceptional contribution to the advancement of horticultural knowledge in Canada.
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