As Winter weans from the area, and signs of Spring begin to show.. I for one begin to eagerly await beginning my garden. This excitement though can quickly be dampened by a late season frost if one doesn’t set out the correct types of plants initially. So, when does the last frost typically occur around WNC? And what should you plant before this to take advantage of the warm early Spring days? All of that and more will be answered below!
Onions
Onions are one of the most hardy vegetables that grow in Zone 6b, and can withstand a somewhat harsh early or late frost. Onion sets or bulbs can be placed in the soil as early as late February around WNC where they will begin to take root and thrive. Since the bulb is below ground, it is much less susceptible to frozen temperatures and therefore very frost resistant. After the bulb has set, they are also heat tolerate and can easily withstand daily temperatures exceeding 75 degrees. A good rule of thumb is that when the temperature pushes above 20 degrees, your onions should be safe from the cold weather. In the AshevilleWX garden, onions were the first thing that I set out.
Putting out both Red & White Onion Sets
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Potatoes
Potatoes are another great early vegetable to start, but they are a bit more susceptible to frost compared to the hardy onion. I like to take potatoes with eyes developed on them and turn them into new growth. Some don’t advise this, but I think it is wasteful to let store bought potatoes go to waste. So, as a select group of potatoes develops eyes, I begin to slice them up carefully. The key is to keep 2 eyes to each slice of potato. Therefore, even if one eye doesn’t develop, you have a chance for the other one too.
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Next you want to let them sit for a day or two before you plant your cut up potatoes. This is considered the hardening off process. Now to plant your potatoes. Frost can kill new leaves that have sprouted above ground, but your potato below ground should be protected and produce new shoots if old ones are killed. Take your potato and place it 6”-8” in the ground with nice compost soil all around. This depth is why potatoes are less susceptible to frost compared to some other plants. I like to plant potatoes 2-3 weeks before the last typical frost, and your shoots will begin to show up right around the last frost date.
Broccoli
Broccoli is another hardy veggie that can withstand a late season frost or the initial cold spells of winter. Typically you can grow two crops of broccoli each year, setting your first plants out 2-3 weeks before the last frost of the year, and then replanting in August of September. I like to grow a few various varieties of broccoli and this year Sow True Seed hooked me up with broccoli Raab seeds, Waltham 29! Broccoli can tolerate temperatures as low as 26 degrees, so it is safe to have it planted when those pesky late frosts do occur. To begin my seeds, I like to get pellet pads that expand when water is added to them. After adding the water, I gently push in 2-3 seeds into each pod. In 3-4 days you will begin to see sprouts. Begin introducing the new seedlings to daytime light, either with an indoor setup or by taking the plants outside for several hours each day. Be careful leaving new plants in direct sunlight though because excessive sun can kill infant plants.
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Celery
One of the more difficult vegetables to grow is celery in my opinion. I have found that it is very hard to get the plant to start from seed, especially because it resides on the surface during germination. So, if you push celery seeds into your soil, they will struggle to sprout. This year, I have finally succeeded in getting celery to sprout indoors. In the next couple of days I will be setting the spouts out in their new garden space. Some caution must be taken though because young celery plants do not do well in temperatures below 30 degrees. A mature celery plant can certainly withstand a frost, but a hard frost will likely kill an infant celery plant if it not properly covered.
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Peas
Peas are another great early season thriver which can withstand temperatures as low as 28 degrees while germinating. Once the roots have set though the plant can survive temperatures as low as 19 degrees! That would mean that in some years if you started your peas inside, you could set them out in late February around WNC! I like to sow peas directly into the ground, and this year I will be growing a Sow True Seed variety of grey dwarf peas. One important item to note when planting peas, is that they will need some sort of trellis to support their growth. Without, they will not produce nearly as many peas. So, when I begin talking about the last deep freeze each year, it is time for you to begin to think about planting your peas!
Lettuce
Lettuce can withstand an early frost and still thrive shortly after in the mountains of WNC. While temperatures below 32 degrees will stunt the growth of lettuce, they will not immediately kill it. A prolonged period of below 32 degrees temps will certainly damage a lettuce plant, but temperatures will need to dip into the mid 20’s for that to occur.
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Kale
Last but not least is a very popular veggie around Asheville, and it happens to be hardy like most of the folks of Asheville as well. Kale can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees! In fact, kale becomes softer when it is affected by below freezing temperatures. This also makes it resistant to insects because it can thrive when they die off. This year I will be growing Curly Kale in the AshevilleWX garden as seen below.
Carrots
Last but not least are the every hardy carrots. Frost tolerant up to 20 degrees, carrots will thrive when other veggies are dying out. This year I will be going Tendersweet & Danvers 126 carrots! For WNC folks, these should already be in the ground, and can go in as early as February each year!
Share Your Tips With Me!
I would love to hear your gardening tips for the mountains of WNC. Send me an email at Hunter@Ashevillewx.com and your comments could be featured in the next article!
