Using Garden Cloches to Start Seeds Outdoors Earlier in Spring

Garden cloches provide plants with protection against unpredictable spring weather and keep weeds at bay, protecting young crops from animals that might nibble them down.

Regular inspections of cloches can reveal damage that compromises their ability to protect young plants from environmental conditions and pests. Doing this is an easy and cost-effective gardening hack that will protect your vegetables for an entire season!

Cool-Season Seeds

Cool season vegetables such as peas and greens thrive in the mild temperatures of early spring, making planting directly outside an excellent way to jumpstart your gardening season. By capitalizing on this condition, direct outdoor planting gives you an early head start in planting season!

Make sure you are equipped for outdoor sowing with all the appropriate equipment, such as seed starting mix, trowel or draw hoe and rake to work the soil evenly and create an even surface. In order to soften seeds before sowing them outdoors, soak or scarify their skins a few days in advance of planting.

Make a list of your preferred varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers and browse seed catalogs to gather inspiration. It is also an opportunity to sketch your garden layout and determine how much space each type of crop requires. Consider rotating crops annually to improve soil quality and minimize pest problems.

Warm-Season Seeds

Growing from seeds offers gardeners a tremendous variety of vegetable seeds and heirloom varieties, enabling them to experiment with unique selections while saving money by forgoing plant starts that might not flourish due to poor weather.

Though frozen ground and frost may prevent outdoor planting in most USDA zones, gardeners in milder climates or with some form of protection can still begin sowing warm season vegetables such as peas, beans and corn in January. It’s essential that gardeners consult both their seed packet recommendations as well as local weather data in order to create ideal conditions for successful germination of such seeds.

Some seeds require stratification for optimal success, and this can easily be accomplished at home by soaking seeds in water and placing them in the refrigerator for several weeks. Once they’re hardening off period starts, take them outdoors into shaded locations for several hours each day while keeping soil damp.

Cold-Season Seeds

Some seeds, like kale and brussels sprouts, do well when planted directly outdoors in spring as they’re designed to flourish during a season that still brings unpredictable frosts and snowfall. A garden cloche can provide ideal growing conditions so they’re ready to transplant at just the right moment without suffering damage due to unpredictable weather patterns.

Preparing seedlings for transplantation involves keeping them warm and moist at all times, possibly through soaking or scarifying with light brushing, to allow water and nutrients to penetrate their skin easily. Once your seedlings reach two or three inches tall, they’re ready to be hardened off.

Before planting outdoors, it’s wise to perform a soil test in order to ascertain its composition and determine whether organic matter or other materials need to be added to enhance it. Furthermore, having some garden tools handy such as trowel or draw hoe can help with digging holes for planting while watering cans or hoses can aid watering efforts.

Warm-Weather Seeds

Some seeds require stratification before being planted; this mimics their natural experience of spending time in damp, cold winter soil where moisture softens their tough outer coating. You can recreate this process easily at home by moistening soil starting mix before sowing seeds in it and placing the container in the fridge for several weeks after sowing.

Some plants simply aren’t designed to thrive in chilly spring soil; examples include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zinnia seeds which need warmth in order to germinate. Thankfully, warm season seeds can often be started indoors before being moved outdoors when temperatures consistently reach 30o F and frost-free conditions prevail.

Make sure that you are prepared for gardener season by having all of the right tools at hand – including seed starting mix, trays and grow lights from high quality sources. Additional necessities may include cloche to protect young seedlings from sudden and unpredictable spring temperatures – preparing now can save both time and frustration later on!