Best veggies for early spring planting

Spring isn’t here yet, but it’s coming close, and as soon as gardens dry out, it’ll be time to plant those first early crops. One crop I always plant is peas, usually Little Marvels, because they don’t need wire or trellises to grow. I plant them in one of my raised beds, just a few short rows, and try to get them in around the first of April because they like cool weather and soil.

Readers might wonder why they should grow peas since they cost so little in cans at supermarkets, but I can tell you that fresh picked peas cooked lightly in a little water and touched with butter are a far different vegetable than something from a can. I’ve had years when I didn’t cook any at all, just grabbed up a handfull of pods as I walked around my property, shucked out the peas and ate them raw. REALLY tasty.

Radishes are the closest thing to a sure fire crop you’re likely to find. Whenever you plant them, they seem to grow, inclement weather or not, and all that’s needed is a shallow row, a dusting of seeds, a bit of fertilizer and a light covering of soil. They’ll take care of the rest. Sometimes then take every other one for green onions, leaving the rest to mature, yellow, be tied in bunches, and left to dry for later use.

It’s almost too late to plant garlic, but maybe not. Usually, I buy a bulb at a supermarket, separate out the cloves and plant them a few inches apart in the fall. Still, it’s only February and odds are good. Plant them like onion sets and fertilize well since they’re fairly heavy feeders. Then pull and dry just like the sets in a warm, dry place, maybe your garage.

There are other things you can plant very early, lettuce and spinach among them. If we have a late spring or blizzard or sudden bitter cold weather, you might lose a lot of what you’ve planted, but that doesn’t worry me. I can usually find discount seeds at drug stores and hardware stores, sometimes just 25 cents a packet. If all goes well and they grow, fine. If I lose them I’m only out a buck or two. It’s worth the gamble.