{"id":806970,"date":"2020-04-30T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382510"},"modified":"2020-04-30T13:15:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T19:15:00","slug":"ask-eartha-starting-seeds-for-a-beginner-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/ask-eartha-starting-seeds-for-a-beginner-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Eartha: Starting seeds for a beginner garden"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/GardeningFeature1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Kayla Laplante uses a broad fork to aerate soil while working at the High Country Conservation Center&#8217;s Community Supported Agriculture garden Monday, April 27, in Frisco.<\/strong><br \/><em>Jason Connolly \/ jconnolly@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><em>Dear Eartha Steward,<br \/>I have never planted a vegetable garden before, but this seems like a great year to start. Should I start seeds inside? When is the best time to begin?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Planting a seed is a true act of hope, and personally, I want to nurture all the hope I can right now. Growing vegetables in our mountain climate is entirely possible in the summer months as long as you grow the appropriate varieties. Even if it\u2019s only a portion of our daily food intake, eating locally grown food is an important way to improve your relationship with the food supply. Additionally, gardening is a wonderful way to reduce anxiety and surround yourself with all the good bacteria our bodies need.<\/p>\n<p>First, it\u2019s important to know the kinds of vegetables that thrive in our climate. Most seed packages are labeled as \u201cwarm season\u201d or \u201ccool season\u201d vegetables. In Summit County, choose only the cool season varieties. Warm season vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers don\u2019t like to get below 50 degrees at night.<\/p>\n<p>Even in our warmest summer months, our nighttime temperatures drop below 50. Advanced gardening methods such as greenhouses and cold frames make it possible to grow some of these warm season vegetables, but a beginner gardener is better off keeping it simple. Focus on the cool season vegetables that will give you a bounty of produce.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What are the cool season vegetables? You\u2019re in luck, because there are a lot of tasty vegetables on this list! Leafy greens love our cool temperatures, so you can plant lettuce, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, collard greens, bok choy and kale. Root vegetables will thrive too, so plant radishes, carrots, beets, parsnips and turnips. My favorite cool season veggies are snow peas and sugar snap peas, which do so well in a mountain garden. You\u2019ll need a trellis to support their growth, so be sure to plan that into your garden design.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s address the next part of your question: seed starting. \u201cDirect seed\u201d or \u201cdirect sow\u201d are the terms used when a seed is planted directly into the soil of your garden. \u201cTransplant\u201d is the term when a seed is planted inside your home or in a greenhouse. Starting a transplant gives the seed some time to grow in a friendly, warm, cozy environment before relocating outside to fend for itself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Indoor seed starting is a slightly more advanced gardening technique. It involves some extra equipment, lots of sunny space and extra effort. Typically, I advise a new gardener to stick with direct seed planting for their first growing season. However, this year is anything but typical.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you want to start some transplants inside or stick with planting directly in the garden, seed packages provide a wealth of information, so read them carefully. One of my favorite brands is Botanical Interests, and if you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.botanicalinterests.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">peruse their website<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>, you\u2019ll see that each variety has sowing information where you will learn whether it is recommended for transplant and how long to grow the transplant inside.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Some veggies do best with four weeks inside, some need six and some can go as long as eight. A couple of my favorite veggies to grow as transplants are kale and Swiss chard. You won\u2019t want to grow transplants of radishes or carrots because their roots are too delicate to be moved. Do some calculations to ensure that your transplants are ready right around the time of our last frost. When is our last frost? Of course it varies each year, but typically it is in the middle of June.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I hope this information convinces you to become a mountain vegetable grower. A little online research will give you the specifics you need to start transplants indoors. And remember, if transplanting feels overwhelming, stick to direct seeding your first season, and use these next couple of months to plan. Either way, start collecting supplies now so you\u2019re ready to plant when the time is right.<\/p>\n<p>Another great way to learn is by participating in a community garden. Many community gardeners have grown veggies for years, and they\u2019re happy to share tips and tricks. The High County Conservation Center accepts applications at <a href=\"https:\/\/highcountryconservation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HighCountryConservation.org<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> for the Breckenridge Community Garden and for Nancy\u2019s Community Garden, a greenhouse located in Frisco. Silvana\u2019s Community Garden in Silverthorne also is accepting applications at <a href=\"http:\/\/silvanascommunitygardens.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SilvanasCommunityGardens.org.<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at <a href=\"mailto:info@highcountryconservation.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">info@highcountryconservation.org<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/opinion\/ask-eartha-starting-seeds-for-a-beginner-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kayla Laplante uses a broad fork to aerate soil while working at the High Country Conservation Center&#8217;s Community Supported Agriculture garden Monday, April 27, in Frisco.Jason Connolly \/ jconnolly@summitdaily.com Dear Eartha Steward,I have never planted a vegetable garden before, but this seems like a great year to start. Should I start seeds inside? When is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-806970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-12 12:09:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806970\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}