Gardening With Brenda

Plan in January Plant in February

By Brenda Powell

IT’S A NEW YEAR, AND THE SEED CATALOGS ARE ROLLING IN. THEY ARE MY KRYPTONITE. I LOOK THROUGH EACH CATALOG PAGE BY PAGE, DROOLING OVER THE PHOTOS AND

READING EVERY DESCRIPTION. There are new introductions, heirlooms (my favorite), and the rest. Did I grow the right variety last year? Should I try something else? What are the differences between all the jalapeño peppers? Is it better if they resist checking, ripen earlier, or produce more? Can I even grow them successfully from seed? How many different zinnias can I fit in my garden because I want to plant all of them? What can I buy at my store? On January 10th, I take the dogeared catalog, pick out the seeds, and emerge triumphant, ready to plant. But wait…yes, I will because the only thing I can direct seed outside in January is radishes. However, I can start some things in the greenhouse (or my windowsill) and transplant them outside in February. I don’t care. I have seeds. I’m going to grow produce. There isn’t anything closer to my table than my own garden. I have a world of possibilities, and that is priceless!

What am I going to plant? Well…

In February:

Direct seed outdoors: Arugula, peas, radish, scallions (aka green onions), and spinach. Poppies for flowers.

Seed in the greenhouse:

Peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos. Middle to end of February, to be exact. They’re going to need heat mats—also, lettuce to get ahead. I can put transplants into the garden in March and also direct seed. That way, I have a succession of lettuce to harvest.

In March:

Direct seed outdoors: Chard, kale, cilantro, more scallions, and more spinach. Nasturtiums.

Transplants I bought at the nursery:

Artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and mustard.

Start in the greenhouse:

Zinnias and cosmos. Remember-grow what you like to eat,

www.GarlandNursery.com

what you can’t find locally, and what is easy to grow from seed. It’s okay to say (like me), “I can’t grow cauliflower; I’ll buy it at the grocery store.” Or “I want to harvest lettuce every week, so I’m going to seed it every week.” Or “I like to buy lettuce all ready to go in those cute little plastic containers. I don’t have to do anything but put it on a plate.” That’s okay. My goal is to get everyone to grow something edible. It doesn’t even have to be from seed. Buy a start. That’s fine. Just eat more vegetables and try your hand at growing your own. You will eat something from your garden, and even if you are only 10% successful (and I’m pretty sure you’ll be more successful), the whole experience makes it worth the effort. You got outside. You watched something grow from a seed to a vegetable you’d buy in the grocery store. There was color, drama, and nature at work. Sign me up any day.

Happy Gardening!

Brenda

Brenda Powell is a fourth generation owner of Garland Nursery in Corvallis.

Follow her writing at garlandnursery.wordpress.com