Even under quick hoops, you won't want to plant frost-sensitive vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers anytime soon.  However, there is still a wide selection of crops to choose from for your spring garden.  I've highlighted the easiest ones in the chart below.

Vegetable	Start from:	Notes
Beets	Seeds	Beet seeds can sometimes be difficult to germinate.  As with other root crops, beets need loose, loamy soil.
Broccoli	Transplants	The more advanced gardener can start her own seedlings either inside or in a quick hoop.  Otherwise, buy sets from the local feed store when night temperatures have risen into the high 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit.
Brussels sprouts	Transplants	The more advanced gardener can start her own seedlings either inside or in a quick hoop.  Otherwise, buy sets from the local feed store when night temperatures have risen into the high 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit.
Cabbage	Transplants	The more advanced gardener can start her own seedlings either inside or in a quick hoop.  Otherwise, buy sets from the local feed store when night temperatures have risen into the high 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit.
Carrots	Seeds	Well-drained, loamy soil is mandatory.  Carrots are slow-growers, so weed carefully to give the seedlings breathing room.
Cauliflower	Transplants	The more advanced gardener can start her own seedlings either inside or in a quick hoop.  Otherwise, buy sets from the local feed store when night temperatures have risen into the high 20s to low 30s Fahrenheit.
Collards	Seeds	Spring greens are some of the easiest vegetables to grow.  In addition to collards, spinach, and Swiss chard, consider trying some Asian greens for variety.
Leeks	Seeds	Leeks take a long time to grow, so I generally prefer the perennial Egyptian onions instead.  As with other root crops, leeks need loose, loamy soil.
Lettuce	Seeds	Leaf lettuce is my earliest harvest of the year because I always plant it under quick hoops.  You can cut leaves within a month of planting, but be sure to seed a second bed as soon as you start eating the first --- lettuce becomes bitter within a few weeks of first harvest.
Onions	Seeds, sets, or transplants.	Getting your onions to germinate out in the cold can be a bit tricky, so you may choose to start them inside or under quick hoops to ensure they have time to grow before summer heat stunts them.  Select a variety appropriate for your day length (short day in the south and long day in the north.)  Many gardeners simplify planting by buying sets (tiny bulbs) from the local feed store, but onions grown from sets usually don't store well.
Parsley	Seeds	Parsley is grown very similarly to carrots, but you pick the leaves a few at a time for the next year rather than digging up the root.
Peas	Seeds	Soak your seeds overnight before planting to ensure they sprout quickly.  Erect a trellis for them to grow on.
Potatoes	Cut up pieces of potato, each with two eyes	Hill up your potatoes by adding soil or dirt extending a few inches up the growing stem once the plant is about eight inches tall.  This prevents the new tubers from being exposed to sunlight and turning green.  If you're planting early into cold soil, consider cutting your seed potatoes a few weeks in advance and laying them out in a bright spot so they'll presprout.
Radish	Seeds	Some gardeners plant radish seeds in their carrot rows.  The radishes come up quickly and mature before they compete with the slower-growing carrots.
Spinach	Seeds	I find that spinach plants usually bolt in the spring, so I generally focus on other varieties of leafy greens.
Swiss chard	Seeds	Swiss chard seeds can sometimes be difficult to germinate, but otherwise Swiss chard is perhaps the easiest green to grow and will keep producing all summer.
Turnips	Seeds	Like other root crops, turnips prefer loamy, well-drained soil.

The raw beginner should start out with collards, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, and Swiss chard.  Second year gardeners might add broccoli, carrots, and parsley.  But ignore my advice if you love beets and hate lettuce --- plant what you like to eat!

This week's lunchtime series is excerpted from Weekend Homesteader: March.  I saved some of my favorite projects for last, so I hope you'll splurge 99 cents to read about growing edible mushrooms, composting, and attracting native pollinators.  And, of course, the ebook has the full spring planting chapter in case you just can't wait to read each installment at noon this week.

This post is part of our Spring Planting lunchtime series.  Read all of the entries: Spring garden Preheating soil for the spring garden Vegetables for early spring When to plant spring crops How to plant a no-till garden

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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