Not Too Late

Whoa! Where did the spring go? We’ve already experienced a handful of days over 80 degrees where I live near Olympia.

If you are like me, you might be just a tad behind on your gardening for the year. Ok, really behind. But does that mean it is too late to dream of your very own Washington homegrown tomatoes and bundles of zucchini? No, actually there is still time to get your garden going.

It is sadly far too late to start certain crops like tomatoes and peppers from seed. However, you can get nice sized transplants from your local garden center or, even better, from the neighborhood farmers market. Another place to find starts is online, as some gardeners offer their extra starts for a great deal. Craigslist is a great place to look for starts and local gardening groups on social media can be another great source.

While it’s too late to start some plants from seed, it is just the right time for others. We have officially passed the last frost date for most places in Washington. By now the soil should be warm enough to start planting some warm weather crops such as beans, squash, and corn.

It is getting a bit late to plant cool weather crops such as lettuce and peas, which would not do well in the summer heat. However, you can still plant these crops later in the summer to enjoy as fall crops as the weather cools.

If you just don’t have time to plant any vegetable crops this year, why not plant some flowers to help your local pollinators? They will add beauty to your yard and provide a nutritional boost for our bee populations!

If your life has been super busy like mine, there is still time to get something growing in the garden. With gardening, it truly is better late than never.