Planting can begin as soon as garden soil dries

Q. Wow! This was a really long winter and has been a wet spring! When do you think we can begin planting our garden crops?

A. What gardener doesn't yearn to get their hands in the soil and plant something the first nice day in spring? But slow down and consider that planting times are contingent upon the climate in your area, the hardiness of the vegetable and the workability of your soil.

The Chicago metro area is considered to be in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5b (a small portion of the city is ranked Zone 6a). Typically the average date of the last 32-degree freeze in the spring is May 15. However, within your own yard, you may have noticed some microclimates, such as a warmer protected spot along a southern brick structure or a cooler exposed area to the north of some evergreens. Plants emerge earlier or later in these spots.

Very hardy vegetables can take freezing temperatures and hard frosts without injury. They can be planted from seed six to eight weeks before the last 32 degree freeze in the spring and include spinach, leaf lettuce, kale and kohlrabi. Transplants of asparagus (crowns), potato (tubers), broccoli, cabbage and parsley fare well at this time. We are talking late March to early April.

Frost tolerant vegetables are also cool season crops that can tolerate light frosts and will germinate in cooler soil temperatures but just not as quickly as the very hardy group. Beets, carrots, chard and radishes can be direct sown as early as late April. Cauliflower, Chinese cabbage and herbs also transplant well.

Tender vegetables do not germinate well in cooler soils and are injured or killed by frost, so planting is not advised until after May 15 in our area. Beans, corn, summer squash and tomatoes are included in this group.

Now is the time to plant warm loving (heat hardy) vegetables that are intolerant of frost and cold. These require warm soils for germination and growth and are quite tolerant of high summer temperatures, provided ample moisture is available. Cucumbers, eggplants, melons, gourds, peppers, okra, sweet potatoes and watermelons should not be planted any sooner than two to three weeks after the last frost date, or around June 1.

You might see these dates and feel worried you missed the dates for the hardy or frost-tolerant species, but you're not alone! One final consideration that is particularly important in early spring is the workability of the soil. If the soil is too wet, you may damage the soil structure by trying to prepare it too soon. Since we are having a very wet spring, you might have to wait to get the plants in.

To check if your soil is ready, take a handful of soil and squeeze it into a ball; if a ball forms that crumbles easily, the soil is in good condition to be worked. But if it sticks together, it is too wet and needs time to recover from the elements. Go back inside and peruse another gardening magazine and save some of those crops for a fall planting.

- Stephanie Kenny

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.