Terrific Vegetables for the Spring Garden

We all know that nothing comes close to the flavor of a home-grown tomato, but did you know that if you limit your vegetable gardening to the usual summer tomatoes, peppers and zucchini, you are missing out on a world of spring vegetables that are every bit as much a treat as that tomato?

Spring is almost upon us (or given the weather this winter, perhaps it's been here since fall), so start planning now!  Here’s a quick look at a few of the best spring vegetables:

Snap peas are sweet and delicious, but they lose their sugar soon after harvest.  If you’re not growing your own, you’re not getting them at their best.  Peas can be sown directly in the ground from late March to early April.  Peas need to mature before hot weather sets in, so don’t delay planting. Just be sure to wait for the soil to be dry enough to work.  These are vining plants that need to grow up a trellis.  There are bush varieties available, but even they will do better with some support.  Pick snap peas when they are round and firm and either steam or sauté as soon as possible, assuming you can resist popping them directly into your mouth as you pick.

Like snap peas, salad greens are best from your own garden.  Home-grown greens are immeasurably tastier and crisper than those you find at the supermarket.  By growing your own, you can liven up your salads with a variety of different colors, textures, and flavors. 

Greens can either be direct-sown or grown as transplants.  Garden centers often carry lettuce transplants, but they are easy to grow from seed and it is fun to grow multiple kinds of lettuce to add some interest to your salad bowl.  Either select several varieties and plant a few of each, or use one of the lettuce mixes available from seed companies. 

Leaf varieties are the easiest to grow and can be harvested continuously, either by snipping off the outer leaves or cutting the plant one to two inches above the ground and allowing it to regrow, a method known as “cut-and-come-again.”  As lettuce plants mature and air temperatures increase, they will “bolt”, elongating and growing a seed stalk.  At this point, they become bitter, so unless you like bitter greens, pull them and add them to your compost pile.  To ensure an uninterrupted harvest, sow new seeds every 2-4 weeks and plant bolt resistant varieties as the weather warms up.  Lettuce will also do better with light shade in the warmer weather.

Add some zest to your salads by growing some of the many types of mustard, such as mizuna, chervil, arugula, endive, and tatsoi.  You can get seed packets with mixtures of lettuce and mustard to be grown as mesclun.  Their culture is similar to that of lettuce.  After growing your own, you will never go back to the pricey mesclun from the supermarket.

One delightful vegetable that you are unlikely to find in your local market is kohlrabi.  It is amusing just to look at, with leaves sticking out in all directions from a spherical, swollen stem, making it look like it just flew in from an alien planet.  Its flavor is much more earthly, like a cross between a turnip and a radish, but without the strong flavors sometimes associated with either.  Its leaves can be cooked like other greens, but it is the round stem that is the real treat.  It is delicious and crisp sliced raw in a salad or served with a dip.  Best methods for cooking kohlrabi include steaming and sautéing.  It can also be cubed and added to soups or mashed with potatoes.

Kohlrabi can be seeded directly in the ground in April or May, or started indoors under lights in March and transplanted six weeks later.  Harvest when the bulbs are two to three inches in diameter.

Leeks are also planted in the spring, although they are not harvested until summer or fall and even into winter.  They can be direct seeded, but are more frequently grown as transplants, due to their long time to maturity.  Start leek seeds indoors eight weeks prior to transplanting in the garden around mid-April.  Leeks should be transplanted either in an 8-12 inch deep trench or into individual one inch diameter by six inch deep holes.  As they grow, pull soil up against the stems to blanch them, maximizing the tender white portion of the stem.

Harvest leeks when they are about one inch in diameter, or when you are ready to cook them.  Unless your soil is very loose, it is best to dig, rather than pull them up.  Pulling can sometimes result in the leek breaking, leaving the best part in the ground.  Mulch your leeks in the fall and they will over-winter right in the garden, allowing you to harvest them whenever you are craving some potato-leek soup.

Other spring crops include potatoes, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, kale, collards, spinach, Swiss chard, and onions.  For more information on growing any of these vegetables, visit the UMD Extension Grow-it-Eat-it website at http://growit.umd.edu/ or contact the Home and Garden Information Center at 800-342-2507 or http://www.hgic.umd.edu/ .  Enjoy your spring vegetables!