Based on the Master Gardener guide “Recommended Planting Times and Vegetable Varieties for the North Olympic Peninsula” (found at https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/mg/resources/), March through May is the perfect time to get a variety of cool-season crops planted in your garden. Early sowing means getting a jump-start in the vegetable bed.
Early planting is recommended for cool-season leafy greens such as arugula, lettuce, spinach, and chard. Root vegetables such as radishes, beets and turnips can be planted early with carrots not far behind. Peas, onions and scallions are also popular cool-season crops.
Keep in mind, it isn’t always a good idea to plant all your seeds at the same time. Successive seed planting is a gardening technique where seeds of the same crop are sown in intervals, usually weeks apart. There are several advantages to adopting this method.
Benefits of successive sowing include:
Extended harvest: Instead of harvesting all at once, a garden with varying maturity dates makes produce available over a longer period.
Protection of the harvest: Successive planting can reduce the risk of losing an entire crop to pests, disease, or unusual weather. If a problem occurs, replacement is possible.
Reducing waste: The bounty of the garden doesn’t arrive all at once, resulting in the waste of perishable vegetables.
Another way to extend the harvest is by planting different varieties of the same crop. Choose early-, mid- and slow-maturing varieties for staggered maturation.
To make efficient use of your space, also consider intercropping. Plant fast-maturing crops, like radishes, in between rows of slower maturing crops, such as carrots.
The best place to get information on planting times and maturity rates is the seed package. In addition, many of the seed catalogs will have detailed planting and care directions on their websites.
Practicing successive seed sowing, staggering maturity, and intercropping will reap delicious benefits throughout the season.
A great reference for vegetable gardeners is the WSU Extension publication “Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington State.” It can be downloaded free by going to https:pubs.extension.wsu.edu and searching for the title or EM057E for Clallam County.
Master Gardeners are on the radio!
Garden Talk
Master Gardeners are regular guests on the ’Todd Ortloff Show’ that airs the last Monday of the month starting at 1 p.m. on KONP (AM 1450 and FM101.7). March 31: Topic TBA (keep and eye on next week’s trailer for more information).
The Garden Show
The Garden Show presents short, about 3 minutes, pre-recorded garden spots of interest to the community. It airs on KSQM (FM91.5) on Friday at 6:40 p.m. and then again (a repeat) on Tuesdays at 11:40 a.m. Coming up on The Garden Show on March 21 and 25: “Growing Heirloom Varieties” by Florence Larson.
Plant Clinic
The Master Gardener in-person plant clinics don’t start until May 2025. Until then you can email your questions to mgplantclinic.clallam@gmail.com. Don’t forget to give details and send photos. We look forward to helping you answer your gardening questions.
