LOCAL GARDENING NOTES
April 15, 2020
Sherry Lotufo checks the early greens growing in her hoophouse outside Exeter.
Sherry Leverich Lotufo
This week’s cooler weather has served as a reminder that spring in the Ozarks can be unpredictable, and taking caution when considering a garden is generally a smart plan.
April’s cool, but warming - wet, but sunny -weather is the perfect time to start a garden off with some old-fashioned favorites that respond well to this kind of environment.
Most lettuces and greens will stop producing and “bolt” once hot weather arrives. This means they stop growing and prepare for seed production. Once a lettuce plant decides it is time to “bolt,” their leaves become bitter and are no longer good for eating.
Salad greens of all kinds are easy to plant from seed. Some of our lettuce favorites include: Black-seeded Simpson, Bibb, Romaines and Oakleafs - and Arugula varieties as well. Many readily- available seed packets have fun-to-grow lettuce mixes that add variety to a fresh salad.
Lettuce seed can be sewn in a row in a garden, or even planted in a pot. Plant about a ¼” deep in the soil, cover lightly and pat slightly. Keep the soil moist until seedlings pop up. You can accomplish this by carefully watering and keeping covered with a newspaper, just be sure to remove the paper when seedlings emerge so they can gain access to sunshine. Once established, lettuce needs little care except for watering. Carefully harvest leaves as soon as they are big enough to use, but be sure to only harvest ¼ of the leaves at a time to keep the plant healthy and producing for the rest of the spring season. Some lettuce varieties can also be left to grow into larger heads, and then harvested at once. Be sure to harvest before hot weather makes the lettuce bitter.
Spinach is easy to establish, just like lettuce. The seeds are larger and can be planted at a distance of 4 - 5 inches apart, rather than sewn like lettuce. Healthy spinach plants will flourish in the cool weather and produce dark green, luscious leaves until hot weather leads the plants to produce seed.
Some other great greens good for cooking, as well as eating fresh, are chard and kale. They can be started this time of year as well. The wonderful thing about chard and kale is that they will continue to produce through the hot summer months and into the fall. Sometimes they fall prey to bugs in the summer months, but once cooler weather arrives, new fresh leaves will start coming out.
Fun root veggies are great to start this time of year too. Potatoes, beets and carrots, as well as quick-to-harvest radishes are easy to get going in the garden. Radish seed can be started along with the lettuce, but when planting potatoes, beets and carrots, consider a garden spot that will be utilized by these plants for several months, as they will not be harvested until June or July. Also, be sure to work up the soil really well in the area where root crops will be planted. They will produce much better if their roots can grow where the soil is not hard and packed.
Seed potatoes can be purchased at feed stores or other businesses where plants and gardening supplies are carried. It’s best to cut seed potatoes in halves or thirds (make sure each section has an “eye”) a day or two before planting. Plant at least a foot apart, around 6 inches deep in the soil. Potatoes take a while to come up; keep them watered and weeded while new plants get established.
Beets are a favorite of mine. There are many interesting varieties, but even the old-fashioned Detroit Red is a great specimen. They’re delicious cooked and pickled, and the greens are delicious sauteed with spinach, chard and kale greens. Beet seeds are similar to spinach seeds in size and can be planted and spaced apart 3 - 4 inches. As they grow, thin out larger ones that can be harvested early to make room for others that will continue to grow in their space.
All of the plants mentioned here can be easily be started from seed and thrive in our Ozarks spring weather. They can also all tolerate a passing frost and chilly nights. A cold, dreary week of weather may slow them down, but once the warm sunshine wakes them up, they will be producing like wild.
Good luck with your spring garden!
Sherry Leverich Lotufo lives near Exeter. She’s the former editor of Ozark Hills and Hollows Magazine, an Agricultural and Human Interest Freelance Writer, and
the copy manager for Walmart Private Brands team.
This week’s cooler weather has served as a reminder that spring in the Ozarks can be unpredictable, and taking caution when considering a garden is generally a smart plan.
April’s cool, but warming - wet, but sunny -weather is the perfect time to start a garden off with some old-fashioned favorites that respond well to this kind of environment.
Most lettuces and greens will stop producing and “bolt” once hot weather arrives. This means they stop growing and prepare for seed production. Once a lettuce plant decides it is time to “bolt,” their leaves become bitter and are no longer good for eating.
Salad greens of all kinds are easy to plant from seed. Some of our lettuce favorites include: Black-seeded Simpson, Bibb, Romaines and Oakleafs - and Arugula varieties as well. Many readily- available seed packets have fun-to-grow lettuce mixes that add variety to a fresh salad.
Lettuce seed can be sewn in a row in a garden, or even planted in a pot. Plant about a ¼” deep in the soil, cover lightly and pat slightly. Keep the soil moist until seedlings pop up. You can accomplish this by carefully watering and keeping covered with a newspaper, just be sure to remove the paper when seedlings emerge so they can gain access to sunshine. Once established, lettuce needs little care except for watering. Carefully harvest leaves as soon as they are big enough to use, but be sure to only harvest ¼ of the leaves at a time to keep the plant healthy and producing for the rest of the spring season. Some lettuce varieties can also be left to grow into larger heads, and then harvested at once. Be sure to harvest before hot weather makes the lettuce bitter.
Spinach is easy to establish, just like lettuce. The seeds are larger and can be planted at a distance of 4 - 5 inches apart, rather than sewn like lettuce. Healthy spinach plants will flourish in the cool weather and produce dark green, luscious leaves until hot weather leads the plants to produce seed.
Some other great greens good for cooking, as well as eating fresh, are chard and kale. They can be started this time of year as well. The wonderful thing about chard and kale is that they will continue to produce through the hot summer months and into the fall. Sometimes they fall prey to bugs in the summer months, but once cooler weather arrives, new fresh leaves will start coming out.
Fun root veggies are great to start this time of year too. Potatoes, beets and carrots, as well as quick-to-harvest radishes are easy to get going in the garden. Radish seed can be started along with the lettuce, but when planting potatoes, beets and carrots, consider a garden spot that will be utilized by these plants for several months, as they will not be harvested until June or July. Also, be sure to work up the soil really well in the area where root crops will be planted. They will produce much better if their roots can grow where the soil is not hard and packed.
Seed potatoes can be purchased at feed stores or other businesses where plants and gardening supplies are carried. It’s best to cut seed potatoes in halves or thirds (make sure each section has an “eye”) a day or two before planting. Plant at least a foot apart, around 6 inches deep in the soil. Potatoes take a while to come up; keep them watered and weeded while new plants get established.
Beets are a favorite of mine. There are many interesting varieties, but even the old-fashioned Detroit Red is a great specimen. They’re delicious cooked and pickled, and the greens are delicious sauteed with spinach, chard and kale greens. Beet seeds are similar to spinach seeds in size and can be planted and spaced apart 3 - 4 inches. As they grow, thin out larger ones that can be harvested early to make room for others that will continue to grow in their space.
All of the plants mentioned here can be easily be started from seed and thrive in our Ozarks spring weather. They can also all tolerate a passing frost and chilly nights. A cold, dreary week of weather may slow them down, but once the warm sunshine wakes them up, they will be producing like wild.
Good luck with your spring garden!
Sherry Leverich Lotufo lives near Exeter. She’s the former editor of Ozark Hills and Hollows Magazine, an Agricultural and Human Interest Freelance Writer, and
the copy manager for Walmart Private Brands team.
