Do not wait until after Mother’s Day to start planting

DENVER — Forget that you ever heard that tired cliché about waiting until after Mother’s Day to plant. It’s wrong. 

You must understand the difference between cool season plants and warm season plants. Cool season plants can take the cold–even a moderate freeze–but what they can’t take is heat. You’ve got to get them going in the cool weather of April. 

Warm-season plants, such as tomatoes and marigolds, are completely different. They won’t survive a freeze and will stunt if planted in cold soil. Those are the plants that you should wait to plant until after Mother’s Day. The date itself is actually irrelevant. Night temperatures should stay above 50 degrees and the soil should be warm. 

So what can–and should–you plant now? Everything that needs cool weather to develop properly. In my garden, the ornamental plants I’ve already planted include pansies, sweet alyssum, annual dianthus and ornamental kale. I’m also sowing seeds of bachelor buttons, nigella, sweet peas, California poppies and larkspur. They actually need a chill to germinate. 

Cool season crops I’ve planted include peas, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, radish, spinach and lettuce. In just a few more weeks I’ll be sowing seeds of beets, carrots, chard and other leafy greens such as arugula and cilantro. 

Because spring weather is notoriously unpredictable, I always keep sheets and frost cover fabric handy in case of a drastic cold snap. Just a little effort makes it possible to enjoy the cool season plants. If you wait, it’s too late. 

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