The best times to plant vegetable in your garden
Temperatures will affect the growth, pollination cycle and the fruition cycle of your plant considerably.
Both high and low temperatures have their effects on the plant.
When the temperature is too high, leafy plants are known to flower prematurely without growing edible foliage to a mature level. Examples are lettuce and cabbage. Flowering indicates that the plant has gone to seed.
When the temperature drops sharply by night, the plants tend to jettison their flowers and buds leading to a considerable reduction in your produce.
The ideal temperature, as recommended by the experienced gardeners, would be in the range in 40 degree to 80 degree Fahrenheit.
Warmer temperatures are known to increase the growth unduly while colder temperatures result in stunted growth, both of which are not ideal for a healthy produce.
One the basis of their temperature preferences, vegetables are classified as below
Cool season plants:
These crops should be allowed to mature before the onset of summer. If they are planted in summer there should be an assurance that mild cold will follow in a few weeks which would last for at least 4-5 weeks before the onset of extremely cold.
Examples of cool season plants are
- Cabbages
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Spinach
- Turnips
- Parsnips
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Onion
- Brussels sprouts
- Endive
If the weather gets too warm, these plant would simply die off.
You can plant most of these vegetables in the winter (mild cold conditions) and enjoy rich harvest.
Warm season crops:
These plants cannot tolerate frost. These plants are characterized by a deeper root system. These plants are usually larger than the cool season plants. If the climate gets too cold these plants have a tendency to wither away.
Examples are
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Melons
- Sweet potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Beans
- Corn
- Soya beans
- Chayote
- New Zealand spinach
- Eggplant
Understanding the impact of temperature on your crops would go a long way in determining the type of plants to grow during a particular period. Plants which are not stressed because of the temperature, tend to growth faster and produce more harvest.