Early Season Gardening: How To Get Growing Now!

by Jana The Hip Homestead

How to beat the cold nights and get gardening sooner. Follow these Early Season Gardening tips to get you growing now.

http://www.thehiphomestead.com/early-season-gardening-how-to-get-growing-now/

Start Seeds Indoors

I can’t say it enough: start your seeds indoors for bigger, healthier, stronger plants. If you live in a Nothern climate like I do, this is the number one rule to early season gardening success.

Use a Cold Frame or Low Tunnel to harden off young plants

A cold frame is an age old and time tested gardening tool. Basically, it’s a big wooden box with a glass lid that acts like a mini greenhouse to help keep your seedling warm during cool spring or fall nights.

Low tunnels are great for keeping your seedlings toasty during cooler days and chilly nights. Low tunnels act as long, low greenhouses to keep seedlings warm and moist. This method works really well for tropical veggies such as tomatoes and peppers.

Low tunnels are also great for prewarming your soil before planting. I put my low tunnels up a week or two before I plant, this way the soil is warm for my seedlings and I’ve had a chance to intercept any weed seedlings that might pop up as a result of the warm soil temperatures.

Use Frost Cloth for emergency protection

Frost cloth or Reme is thin white fabric specially designed for gardening, it allows air and light to enter the growing area while trapping heat in and creating an insulative barrier over your plants. Frost cloth is also great for protecting young seedling trays from sun-scald and pests.