Wednesday 28 May 2014

Planting Guide for the Ottawa Area (5a)

If you have space in your house you could start some seeds to transplant later to your garden.

February:
  • Start indoors plants that require 10-12 weeks before last frost (eg. Tomatoes, onion and leeks, etc.).
  • Start indoors plant that needs to be two-year old before producing, such as Globe artichokes.

March (1st week)
  • Start inside seeds that should be started about 6-8 weeks before last frost (e.g. peppers, eggplants, etc.).
  • Veggies that should be started 6 weeks before last frost but that you are planning on putting on a cold frame, a row-cover, or growing in pots and hardening them for a couple of hours outside, but taking them indoors at night.
  • Place sweet potatoes in water to sprout indoors 

March (middle of month):
  • Start seeds of Tomatoes and Peppers (for staggered production), Berries
  • Brassicas (e.g. Chinese cabbage, broccoli, and common cabbage)
  • Start romaine lettuce indoors if you have a cold frame for transplant

April (as soon as the ground can be worked):
  • Seed outdoors: Peas, Spinach, cold hardy greens, Parsnips, Radish. Harden-off leeks and Brassica transplants by placing outdoors for a couple of hours, but taking them indoors at night.

April (middle of month, warmer days start but ground is moist)
  • Seed Carrots, Beets, Lettuce
  • Transplant leeks, and brassicas but keep them on a cold frame, a row-cove, or cloche.
  • Harden off tender plants like tomatoes, eggplants, etc. 

May (1st week)
  • Plant early potatoes
  • Start indoors corn and melon seeds
  • Seed greens directly on ground
  • Start cucumbers indoors 

     After annual gardens have been plowed and staked:
  • Plant beets and carrots for early harvest (stagger your seed planting), Swiss chard and storage onions outdoors 
  • Start early corn outdoors (ONLY if soil reasonably warm) 

May (after last frost date, usually 24 May)
  • Place seeds directly on ground crops like: pumpkins, cucumbers, green beans, squash, etc. 
  • Cut sweet potato vines into a few inches pieces, place in 2-3” of water to root 
  • Transplant tomatoes and peppers outdoors, cover if necessary on cold nights 

June (1st week)
  • All Solanums  such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants should be in the ground. The same for peppers, and okra.
  • Seed peas for a late crop
  • Seed Brussels sprouts, and lima beans, kale 
  • Transplant sweet potatoes, cucumbers, melons (watermelons and cantaloupes) 

June (middle of month)
  • Plant late corn 
  • Plant fall crops: carrots, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, and late season brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) 

July (1st week)
  • Start fall crops such as Fennel, Lettuce, carrots, beets and turnips
  • Plant Chinese eggplants/cabbage outdoors 

August (1st week)
  • Start fall crops: radish, lettuce, and onion

September (1st week)
  • (ONLY applies for Perennial gardens and Raised boxes) Seed spinach and onion for spring harvest. 

September (2nd week)
  • Make cuttings of sweet potato for overwintering indoors

October
  • Dig up all root crops for storage
  • (ONLY applies for Perennial gardens and Raised boxes) Plant garlic bulbs for spring harvest

Happy Gardening!