Field and Garden: Opportunities for gardeners despite the cold

I enjoyed looking through my favorite seed catalogue last month, making a list of vegetable varieties that sounded promising.

After comparing my list to NDSU’s publication “Vegetable Cultivars for North Dakota 2023,” I made my final selections and then placed my online order.

The shipment of seeds arrived five days later. Wouldn’t you know, it was the coldest day of the month. It was eight degrees below zero when I arrived home after work, and the box of seeds had been sitting outside all afternoon.

I asked NDSU horticulture specialist Tom Kalb if I needed to be concerned about the effect of the cold on the germination ability of the seeds. “There shouldn’t be a problem if the seeds were of good quality,” Kalb said. “Seeds survive below-zero temperatures in nature all the time.”

Kalb is the moderator of NDSU Extension’s Spring Fever Garden Forum, a series of free, online workshops for gardening enthusiasts.

The topics and dates of this year’s Garden Forum are as follows: Vegetables and Soil, March 20; Flowers and Fruits, March 27; Biology and Technology, April 3 and Small Spaces and Trees, April 10.

The Garden Forum is broadcast live around the state. Gardeners have the option of watching on their home computers, but I find it more enjoyable to watch with others.

A small group of us will view the broadcast in the Community Room of the Carrington City Library. I invite you to join us at 6:30 p.m. on each of the dates listed above.

+++

I watched a friend gathering empty bakery containers from the counter in the church kitchen last Sunday. The disposable containers were the type that small cakes and doughnut holes come in. They were made of clear plastic, with hinged tops that can be snapped shut.

“These will make wonderful miniature greenhouses,” my friend said. “They are great for starting garden seeds indoors.”

She explained that she will poke drainage holes in the bottoms of the containers and then add a two-inch-deep layer of seed-starting mix.

After seeding, she’ll water the soil surface gently with lukewarm water and then close the lid of the container to conserve warmth and humidity. It’s a perfect environment for germinating seeds.

Someone asked recently when seeds should be started. The answer depends on when the weather will be warm enough to move the young plants outdoors.

Our last frost in Carrington is typically between May 14 and 26.

Cole crops such as cabbage and broccoli can generally be transplanted two to three weeks before the last frost. Tomatoes and peppers shouldn’t be set out until two to three weeks after the danger of freezing temperatures is past.

March 15 - 20 is a good target date to start seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, pepper and eggplant indoors. April 1 - 5 is the time to start tomatoes.

Squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons can be direct seeded outdoors two weeks after the last frost. If you would rather start these crops indoors, then May 1 is an appropriate seeding date.

If you would like more information about starting seeds, please contact me ([email protected], 652-2581).