Cold Weather Plants

[wifezilla]

I have been experimenting with cold weather crops and trying to see what I can plant in Colorado after St. Patrick's day.

Well, the first thing I planted (a couple of weeks ago) was Long leaf Tong Ho from Baker seeds (http://rareseeds.com/seeds/). I put it in a somewhat sheltered spot near my home's foundation. Sprouts came up on Wednesday and we got a blizzard Friday. The snow melted today and my sprouts were still there doing just fine.

I also planted other seeds last weekend. Nothing is coming up on those yet, but I will watch the bed closely and let you know what comes up and survives our weird and wacky Colorado spring weather.

Seeds put out include;

Lettuce
Arugula
corn salad
oriental cabbage
pak choy
cabbage

If you have found anything that doesn't mind an occasional Spring snow, post it here.

 

[patandchickens]

Spinach!


Pat

 

[wifezilla]

Doh! I planted that too...just forgot to write it down

 

[setter4]

Peas.

 

[wifezilla]

How much cold can peas tolerate? I know I have to plant them early, but they can't handle a mild frost or snow, can they?

 

[me&thegals]

Mustard, kale, radishes, parsnips and Swiss chard

 

[wifezilla]

When do you plant these things in Cheesehead country?

 

[vfem]

I planted Radish, Lettuce, Carrots and Spinach. All of which were planted before we had 2 snows here (very random) all are doing well... but my lettuce was VERY slow. Finally, at the end of last month they started coming up.

Be patient with carrots too... they put so much into the root, even in cold... that you really don't see much happening.

Go ahead with the peas, they take a little while, but as soon as they are comfortable they will come up. Mine just came up in the last 3 days.

 

[wifezilla]

I found this...

Cold Tolerance in Vegetables

Q. You have often mentioned cold tolerant vegetable crops and those which are very susceptible to frosty injury. Could you list these and temperature lows which they can tolerate?

A. This is very difficult to do and be accurate since cold tolerance depends on preconditioning. For instance, if broccoli has been growing in warm conditions and temperatures drop below 22 degrees F., it will probably be killed. If these same broccoli plants had experienced cool weather, they would probably survive the sudden cold.

In general, a frost (31-33 degrees F.) will kill beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peas, pepper, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Colder temperatures (26-31 degrees F.) may burn foliage but will not kill broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, and turnip.

The real cold weather champs are beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, kale, parsley, and spinach.


Here is another one...
"Q: What plants and flowers do you recommend for planting in the cold weather?

Hope R from Oklahoma

A: Hope,

As long as the ground isn't frozen, there are a number of plants and flowers suitable for cold weather planting in your zone.

Examples of Annuals: Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Snapdragons, Dust Miller, Larkspur, Asters, Calendulas, Dianthus.

Examples of Perennials: These include Shirley Poppies, Winter Pansy, Ivy, Rudbeckia, Primrose, Chrysanthemums and Forget-Me-Not.

Don't forget the garden vegetables and herbs. Ornamental Peppers make a beautiful addition to the fall garden (and kitchen). Also try onions, leeks and garlic. Some herbs will also do fine in a milder winter if planted in a protected area. Examples include Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.

Now is also the best time to plant trees and ornamental shrubs. "
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf939450.tip.html

AH! Bingo! From the CSU extension...

Very cold hardy. Plant 6 weeks before last killing Spring frost
asparagus
broccoli
cabbage
horseradish
lettuce
onions
leeks
peas
broad bean
spinach
turnip
Brussel sprouts

Hardy (plant two to four weeks before the average last spring frost)
beet
carrot
chard
mustard
parsnip
radish
cauliflower
celery
potato

Not cold-hardy (plant after average last spring frost)
bean (snap)
soybean
squash
sweet corn
tomato
New Zealand spinach

Requiring hot weather (plant at least one week after average last spring frost)
bean (lima) eggplant
pepper
sweet potato
cucumber
melon
okra
pumpkin

Medium heat- tolerant (good for summer planting; i.e. June in this area)
Beans (Lima & snap)
chard
soybean
New Zealand spinach
squash

Hardy plants for late summer or fall planting (plant approximately two months prior to average first killing fall frost)
beet
collard
kale
lettuce
mustard
spinach
turnip
peas
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TR...oopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/vegpltim.html

Now, for the last Spring frost date...
Last Colorado Springs frost dates: Dates are not very different considering their 6170 feet elevation versus Denver's 5,290 feet. It is May 5th for 50 percent confidence (153 days), May 13th for 80 percent confidence and May 18th for 90 percent confidence based on 25 years of data. Their latest date was June 3, 1951.

 

[COgirl]

Great info from CSU Wifezilla-thank you. I think I'm going to shoot for mid April/May for most stuff. We are out in Falcon, I still have snow drifts covering one of the gardens and I heard tonight they are calling for snow tomorrow and another blizzard Sat. I guess we are going to make up for the dry winter afterall