Howdy-do, gardening friends! It’s time for our near-annual public service announcement about weather, microbes and patience. Let us explain. While it’s easy to celebrate the rare sun fleck breaking through our January perma-cloud, don’t let that excitement lead to rash seed sowing. This time of year in western Washington our soil temps hover in the low 40s, too cold for even the hardiest seeds to thrive. Those that do manage to sprout encounter rain, frost, slugs, fungal disease and, most importantly, an absence of sunlight which threaten seedlings’ chance of survival.
We used to start our CSA in early May and pride ourselves on being early to farmers markets with carrots, broccoli and zucchini. But over the years we learned battling cold temps and early spring pests led to too much crop loss, burn-out, wasted seed, and damaged soil to justify the marginal early season gains in profit. Here on Whidbey Island, we now don’t direct sow much of anything outdoors until early April or March if it’s in a greenhouse.
So, what does this mean for you and your grand gardening goals? January is best for dreaming and scheming. Perhaps build a new compost or worm bin, take a soil test, or level up your succession planting plan with some spreadsheets. Research all the wonderful varieties offered by your regional seed companies and plan a mini variety trial.
Okay, so if January is off-limits for planting what about the rest of winter? February is perfect for starting onions and leeks indoors. March is ideal for starting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants indoors as well as hardy brassicas. If you have a greenhouse, you could begin direct seeding some greens and root crops. If these crops succumb to our NW winter blues, don’t fret, just try again in April! Our comprehensive NW planting calendar can be found here.