The sun has found its way through the clouds and Corvallis is springing with new life. When I begin to see flowers making their way through the cold ground I know it's time to being thinking about my garden. Between the second week in February and second week of March is when I like to plant tomato and pepper seeds. Depending on the weather I will plant outside or inside, using my south facing windows as a greenhouse. This year the weather has been amazing and I have decided to plant directly in the ground outside. Even though I plant outside I cover with large panes of glass (old house windows) to protect the seeds/seedlings a little bit to make sure the warmer weather is here to stay. Corvallis is notorious for having a wonderful warm weather streak for a month or so before being hit with cold damp weather again.
Some items I like to get started right now in the beds are spring peas and beans. Other items that do wonderful this time of year are radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, and chard. Covered with the glass panes are tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes and peppers need just a little bit more protection from the weather than the other vegetables as they like it just a bit warmer. Something else to keep in mind is that tomatoes don't really like their leaves getting wet. They don't appreciate April showers as much as May flowers. Tomatoes are prone to blight, and this fungus thrives in cold damp weather. In order to assure a good tomato crop I like to keep the leaves dry and water consistently. Even though they take a little bit extra care, planting seeds directly into your beds will make the roots hardier and the direct sunlight will prepare them for the strong UV rays they will be getting in Summer. As my plants grow I will take pictures and will add entries on what to look for when planting.
Here is another reference you can use if you are interested in planting your own food garden. https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/gardening/outdoor/month-by-month-vegetable-gardening-guide?
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