Time for Cool Season Crops

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Sallie Carlisle

March 7, 2011

Sallie Carlisle The Daily Southerner The Daily Southerner Mon Mar 07, 2011, 11:35 AM EST

TARBORO — What signs do you look for to indicate the beginning of spring – golden daffodils dancing in the breeze, spring peepers filling the air with music, or maybe the sight of honey bees visiting the fragrant winter honeysuckle in your neighbor’s yard?

For me, the vibrant splash of red along our roadway and ditch banks give me the first indication that spring is near. Contrary to what many might think, that amazing burst of life is not new foliage, but instead is an abundance of delicate red maple flowers.

These visual cues often trigger a new season in the Filbrun household as my family and I unveil seed collected from last year’s bounty and await the arrival of new seed varieties in the mail. As with many avid gardeners, the temptation is to begin planting immediately; however, it is important to let the soil temperature be your guide.

One valuable resource to help you is the Rocky Mount Station of the State Climate Office of North Carolina (http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/?station=ROCK).

A search under “Soil Parameters” will reveal that the current average soil temperature is 48 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, it is safe to consider direct seeding beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions, garden peas, Irish potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips into your 2011 vegetable garden.

Assuming that you have received your soil test results and have made the necessary adjustments, there are a number of other soil factors that are important for your seeds to take off. The soil should be worked to a fine texture with uniform consistency so that the seed makes good contact with the soil particles without excessive voids and air pockets. Follow the recommendations on the seed packet, as each vegetable often has different depth and spacing requirements. Remember the smaller the seed the more shallow it should be planted; a general rule of thumb suggests a suitable planting depth is usually about two to four times the minimum diameter of the seed.

One common question surrounds how you go about sowing those tiny seeded varieties. It is best to sow these seeds thinly and uniformly in rows by gently tapping the packet of seed.

At planting, the seed has a low oxygen requirement; however, as germination occurs, oxygen demand increases and a loose, well aerated soil provides the ideal environment. The seed must first absorb water and then have an adequate and continuous supply of moisture for the embryo to develop properly. Temperature works in concert with the moisture level to affect germination percentage and rate. As implied above, each species has a minimum, maximum and ideal soil temperature for best germination.

If you are new to gardening, start small; try a container planted with your favorite vegetable placed on your stoop or patio. Fill the container with a good quality potting soil and sow any of the cool season vegetable seeds mentioned above. After you have harvested the produce, simply remove the plant and plant a warm season vegetable in its place. A little effort will reward you many fold.

Bob Filburn is an Edgecombe County Extension Service agent specializing in horticulture. Look for his Garden Guide each month on the Community page.

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The Garden Guide

Edgecombe Garden Club learns about downtown trees and Tarboro improvements
President Marilyn Douglass welcomed everyone to the March 7 luncheon meeting at the Fountains of the Albemarle.
Alan Thornton, Tarboro town manager, spoke to the club about “Trees in Downtown Tarboro” and included ways to help improve the community.
Prior to Thornton’s arrival, downtown merchants had expressed concern of a leaf litter problem and store fronts not seen well because of tree sizes.

April 13, 2012
A splash of late winter color
Most folks recognize that spring is the time for tulips and daffodils, but have you noticed that splash of purple across your turf or throughout your landscape beds? The glowing lavender flowers of henbit, along with the white flowers of hairy bittercress will soon yield seed, resulting in an entirely new crop of problems starting next fall. Henbit and hairy bittercress are two of our common winter annual weeds in the Coastal Plains of North Carolina.

March 29, 2012 2 Photos
Recommendation for damage trees after a storm
Twisted trunks, splintered branches and upswept roots are images etched in my mind compliments of hurricane Irene. A casual observer passing through Edgecombe County might be inclined to reason that high winds and aging trees were largely to blame for the mess that resulted from last weekend’s disasterous storm.

September 5, 2011 1 Photo
Local Roots – A New Farmers Market Model
As many of you know, my family and I recently traveled to Ohio for a family wedding. In between church decorating, reception hall set-up and rehearsal dinners, we managed to slip away to check out the local farmers market.
At this point, I should clarify the significance of this “side trip” and emphasize its relevance to recent developments at the Tarboro-Edgecombe Farmers Market.

July 11, 2011 1 Photo
Master Gardener’s hint: Pinch, pinch and pinch some more
Well, it is time to decide once and for all. Is that tall, stately stem with the bulging bud at the crown the promised returning perennial you planted last year or is it just another weed. You’ve been mulching and nourishing it for a couple of months, and now it’s time to commit.

June 6, 2011 1 Photo
Honey bees & the allure of flowers
Honey bees & the allure of flowers
Spring is such an exciting time of year; vegetation begins to “green-up”
all around us and flowers magically appear.

April 13, 2011 1 Photo
Q and A with the master Gardeners
Hello again. I don’t know about your garden, but the weeds are already winning in mine. They must feed on moonbeams or some stardust fertilizer formula, the way they get an overnight jump on me. I am considering an 11-3 shift on my knees to close the gap. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not puling, not yet anyway, just pointing out the obvious. No one has dropped a “Garden of the Month” sign in my yard, not even by mistake!

April 4, 2011 1 Photo
Time for Cool Season Crops
What signs do you look for to indicate the beginning of spring – golden daffodils dancing in the breeze, spring peepers filling the air with music, or maybe the sight of honey bees visiting the fragrant winter honeysuckle in your neighbor’s yard?
For me, the vibrant splash of red along our roadway and ditch banks give me the first indication that spring is near. Contrary to what many might think, that amazing burst of life is not new foliage, but instead is an abundance of delicate red maple flowers.

March 7, 2011 1 Photo

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