It's not April 15th yet, but I'm going to try to get a jump on some of my summer crops. I especially want to get an early start on summer squash. It seems to be the only way to beat the squash bugs, although I may try using lightweight row cover to keep them at bay this year.
Unfortunately, I've never been set up to raise my own seedlings. We don't have a greenhouse, and I'm reluctant to start plants inside the house. I simply don't have enough sunny indoor space. As a result, my brain doesn't even think about it at the appropriate time ... which would've been 6 or 8 weeks ago! So I'm seeding directly into the soil prior to the traditional frost date hoping Mother Nature will cooperate. Here's what I put out there today:
I filled one empty raised bed with two varieties of summer squash:
- Summer Yellow Squash, Hybrid Gentry, 44 days to maturity
- Summer Zucchini, Hybrid Gurney's Pride II, 47 days to maturity
I'm anticipating the inevitable bolting of the kale, spinach, and lettuces in another raised bed. Today I planted a row of asian yardlong beans right down the middle of the bed, and will have a row of bush beans on either side. This afternoon I planted one half of one row of bush beans. I'll add to that as the greens are harvested.
- Lek's Long Beans, 60 days to maturity
- Jade Bush Bean, 60 days to maturity
I planted one half bed in limas. I'll fill up that entire bed with limas once all the kale is harvested.
- Lima Beans, "Fordhook", 75 days to maturity
I planted two rows of green soybeans, one row down each side of the bed where my sugar snaps are planted down the middle. The peas demonstrated very poor germination this year. I actually had more volunteer potato plants in that bed than I had fresh pea sprouts! I moved the volunteer potatoes to an area adjacent to the potato beds. It will be interesting to see if they survive and produce spuds.
- Edible Soybeans, "Butterbean", 90 days to maturity
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