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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Early Spring Garden Produce

We're in garden hardiness zone 8b, which means the average extreme low temperature is between 15 to 20 degrees F in winter. Early spring is chilly, here, with a slow warm-up as the season progresses. And yet, we can still harvest fresh produce by mid-March each year.

I'll be sautéing these kale leaves to go with tonight's dinner.

The produce we're harvesting is limited in quantity and variety. It's  primarily the biennial greens that I planted last year that over-wintered and are now putting on spring growth, like kale, Brussel sprout greens, and parsley. These biennials will start to produce seeds by sometime in April. We'll harvest  leaves until I need that growing space, perhaps mid-April. 

I thinned these seedlings earlier this week to use as the base for a tossed salad tonight.

The other greens that I can harvest this early are the tiny seedlings that I thin from the flats started under lights for this summer's garden, a mixture of lettuce, chard, kale, cabbage, and Brussel sprout seedlings.

I have 1 head of garlic left from last summer's harvest.
We'll use garlic powder, occasional purchased fresh garlic,
and cuttings from these two pots for garlic until this summer's harvest.

In addition to leafy greens, I also have chives that are up and ready to harvest and the leaves from garlic. In fall, I always miss a few garlic bulbs, try as I might. So in spring, I use those missed bulbs for harvesting leaves, sometimes called garlic chives. This year, I potted up all of the errant garlic in two pots, now sitting close to the kitchen door. My hope is by making the garlic chives more convenient to the kitchen, I will clip these greens often as I'm cooking this spring. And as I run out of fresh garlic, I am also near the end of our onions. It all runs out at once! I'm glad I have the "regular" chives to fill in until I buy another big bag of onions.

If you keep a produce garden, what items are among the first that you can harvest in spring?

7 comments:

  1. We are in growing zone 7a with average colder temp of 0-5 F, a bit colder than where you are. Now is the time when we plant our colder weather vegetables which I hope to do this week once I get the beds worked. Actually, I could have done it a little earlier, but I just wasn't that coordinated.

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    Replies
    1. Good luck getting the beds prepared and planted, Live and Learn!

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  2. I don't know much about gardening and this will be my 3rd year for trying raised beds and getting bits of things to grow. I am ridiculously excited when anything succeeds. I am just learning at 47 years old and my teen children have been eager to help. We live in the suburbs of Philadelphia PA and have HORRIBLE soil but using cast off kids plastic swimming pools that we have trash picked as raised beds has worked past 2 years. Husband on disability and very limited income requires financial prudence and creativity!
    I admire your knowledge!
    Also, I don't always comment but I wanted you to know I read only 2 blogs daily and you are my top choice. I really love your gentle quiet way and learn so much from you. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amanda,
      That's very resourceful to use cast-off kiddie pools! And I think you've got the right idea, to do raised beds instead of trying to amend soil in the ground. Good luck to you as you learn more and more about vegetable gardening!

      Thank you for your very kids words. You made my day today!

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    2. "kind words" not "kids words" -- autocorrect, sorry

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  3. Weeeelll.... There's still more than 25cm (10 inches) snow in my veggie plot 😅 But nettles will be emerging in few weeks. Then rhubarb. And by then, there will be other wild weeds to harvest, too. But now - this is called the hunger season, when your root cellar is almost empty and nothing grows yet.
    Ulvmor (Northern Europe)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ulvmor,
      I'm hoping for an early start to spring for you, then! Hunger season doesn't sound very fun.

      Nettles sound interesting. I don't think I'd know if if I saw it. I'll have to look up photos. Our rhubarb has broken the ground, but it's a good month away from having enough to harvest.

      Delete

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