Homegrown: Early Spring

Our instincts may tell us it's too soon to plant in Iowa, but Mother Nature seems to say otherwise.

Some gardeners are forging ahead with work that would normally happen in April or May.

Orlan Love, our outdoor writer, said he has already planted peas, onions, spinach and kohlrabi in his garden in Quasqueton.

“Those seeds germinate no matter what, and those plants seem to like cool weather,” he said.

Lettuce, beets, radishes and cabbage are other plants that do well with less heat.

Even if our above-average temperatures start to dip, these cool-season plants should survive; some even through snow.

I've heard from gardeners with plants such as kale and Swiss chard that survived the winter and are showing regrowth.

Iowans should still hold off on planting tomatoes, peppers, squash and other tender vegetables that wouldn't survive a hard frost.

Orlan was preparing to plant potatoes, regardless of whether or not Good Friday had passed. That traditional date for potato planting falls on April 6 this year.

“It felt warm with my hands in the dirt,” said Orlan, who gets his potatoes in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked.

He pointed me to an Iowa State University Extension website for soil temperatures - the gauge for whether or not a seed will germinate.

Find a link to that site here: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/