Soil prep timings

[matchynishi]

Hello! When do you guys start working your soil? Here in Toronto (Canada zone 5), we've had a very mild winter, and the weather continues to be strange and oscillatory. Lately it's been on the cold side, and in the nights it still goes below zero, although the coming weeks promise to have warmer temperatures

Comments

[icelore]

Since it's been way warmer then usually, I sowed some of my seeds directly outside in the last few weeks (I;'m in Chicago, IL, border of zone 5/6). These were the seeds that I'd normally be starting as my last batch indoors, but they are doing fine outside so far, even with the chilly weather last week, and some are already poking their heads out. The sun is good and warm, and soil temps are much higher then they should be for this time of year.

[matchynishi]

I'm thinking of direct seeding my cool weather crops sooner too, but the ground is not completely workable in my yard, and I need to add some compost, etc... did you work in anything before you planted?

[muffinmon]

I'm in Kingston and have just been cleaning and weeding already. I've started some of my flowers inside already and have been watching my lillies, lavender, and dianthus pop up.
We left out plants in the yard over winter, so right now it's massive clean up and then soil prep. It at least gives me something to do in the garden. Just gotta watch the skies tonight- snow watch.

[matchynishi]

I've done some cleaning, and some small amount of weeding, but yes, I think I'll go ahead with the soil prep next week once the temperatures are up! Snow watch here too, yes... :)

[loveshercoffee]

I will start working the soil, adding compost and planting radishes, turnips and cool-weather things as soon as I can stick a shovel in the dirt and have it not stop dead like I'm hitting rock. I'm in 5b and that's usually sometime in March.

[matchynishi]

Good point... I think I'll go ahead with the soil work in early April, if the temperatures cooperate.

[cookie_chef]

I'm in--as of a few months ago--Zone 8. We had been 7b until recently. We are completely installed with our garden. I direct sowed some and transplanted seedlings on others. Everything seems to be faring fine. I had used a frost blanket on cooler nights. We do square foot garden in 10" tall raised beds.

[matchynishi]

Ooh so great. *_* I hope to be at that point in about a month or so, if the warm weather continues!

[heinleinfan]

I'm in Colorado Springs, 5b/6a and my two beds are ready to go with added soil amendment, mostly organic compost mixes.

I've got lettuce, spinach, snow peas and broccoli sewn. (I'll be doing more in the next couple of weeks; I'm in a community garden that has a cistern for water, and that won't get filled until next week so I have to haul over buckets of water right now.) My thinking is that if I get some production and can cover in case of a frost or snow, I'll have some early harvest but if things get some damage...eh, I'm just out a few seeds and I will still have plenty of time to reseed.

I have all kinds of things started indoors I normally would transfer outdoors around the middle of May. The cold hardy things (brussels sprouts and broccoli) I'll like move at the middle of April with some milk jugs over them and I'm building a tomato house so I'll transplant those out the beginning of May.

[matchynishi]

I'll probably also direct seed my cool weather stuff - this year it'll be chard, lettuce, kale, spinach and a mesclun mix earlier than normal too, my logic is the same as yours! But I was feeling a bit uncertain, so the comments here are easing my mind. :) Hope it's a good year!