Get Here Already Spring! I Want to Plant!

When snow hits Colorado in the spring, there's good and bad.

We were in a bad drought last year. Well, the country was. The mountains here in Colorado and up and down the Rockies play a critical role in the amount of moisture that gets downstream. Last year, not much snow fell in the mountains.

The drought conditions last year made the fact that my first year of vegetable gardening could be considered a success quite the feat. It was in the high 90s way too often!


This year, it was starting to look like that, until April. We've now had several feet of snow, with several more in the mountains. A blessing, as it will hopefully push back wildfire season another few months. Last year was brutal on that front.

The only negative (and it's a selfish one) is that I have not yet put anything in the ground. I was hoping to get lettuce and other cool-weather crops in the ground, but have been nervous to do so. I'm a beginner, remember? I also have not yet planted from seed, so I start with seedlings for everything, which gives me a headstart once I get the veggies in the ground.

The snow from this past week has nearly melted, but we are expected to get a couple more cool days this next week.

I'm going to go out today and get some mesclun mix, which I plan to plant in a deck rail planter. If I feel up to it, I may also get some lettuce or spinach plants, both of which do well in cool weather (and can even stand light freezes). I don't yet own row covers, so this may be a good opportunity to get some, just so I can get the garden moving.

We eat a lot of lettuce in this house (a salad everyday for lunch) so I'm looking forward to stocking my garden with all types of beautiful lettuce this year!

Other veggies I'm planning to get in the ground by the end of April and into May (depending on weather) include:

• Onion and garlic (this will come earlier)
• Tomatoes (3-4 plants)
• Cucumbers (2 plants)
• Zucchini (Just 1 plant this year)
• Kale (2 plants - also a cool weather plant, so maybe I'll get that today too!)