What can I plant right now (late April)?

Spring is officially here! 

The weekend weather we just had was AMAZING.  67 degrees felt like 80😎.  If you're like us, you're raring to get your veggie garden going.  Right??  

But wait!!!  Don't start putting those tomatoes in the ground just yet.  Do you remember the hail & snow we had just a few weeks ago?  👀❄️ 

The biggest mistake people make is planting too early.  We've been guilty of this too.  But when you put your plants in the ground too early, it stresses them out for the rest of the season and they likely won't catch up.  Why?  The air and soil temperatures are too low right now for maximum plant growth.  

Now, this isn't to say we can't plant anything.  Just not warm season veggies.  So put those tomatoes and peppers back inside.  

There are lots of cool-season veggies + herbs that can be planted outside right now (late April) in the Portland metro (zone 8b).  

Cool-Season Vegetables to Plant Now (late April)

• Asparagus
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Chives
• Kale 
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peas (hello, sugar snaps!)  
• Swiss Chard

Some of these cool-season veggies actually prefer the cooler temps, especially peas.  Sugar snap peas (and other peas) are a short season crop, meaning they are ready to pick about 6-8 weeks after planting.  
Plus, they add nitrogen to the soil (as do all legumes) so whatever you plant in that spot next, will be very happy with the added nutrients!   

📢  PSA:
The OSU Extension Service is an amazing resource for science-based (aka proven research!) information. 
If this is your first year gardening or you just want to refresh, we recommend checking out their publication, Growing Your Own - it covers everything from raised beds/container gardening to improving your soil, dates for planting (ahem), managing weeds & pests, when to fertilize, etc.  They literally cover it all.  

Psst, Jess is in training right now to become a master gardener so we will be sharing a lot of science-based info.  And if you have questions, feel free to reach out anytime.