14 WAYS TO EXTEND YOUR GARDENING SEASON

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12. Plant early.

Be prepared to plant in spring as early as soil dampness and warmth allow. Because raised beds hold garden loam above normal soil level, they let the loam warm and drain faster than the surrounding soil. You can therefore work in a raised bed several weeks before soil conditions would otherwise allow you to get out into the garden. If you don't already use raised beds, map out an area for one or more and set them up as soon as this year's crops are harvested.

Whether or not you opt for raised beds, ensure the success of early plantings by using a soil thermometer to monitor soil temperature. Some seed packets and mailorder catalogs offer information on the best soil temperatures for germinating the particular varieties you select, so a small investment in a thermometer now can pay off in healthy plants at harvest time.

13. Protect plants from late frost.

Be prepared to protect next spring's early plantings if a late frost threatens. Start now by stocking up on grocery bags, One-gallon plastic bleach jugs, milk cartons, and so forth. Upside-down paper bags, anchored, work well for individual seedlings, but must be removed during the day. One-gallon plastic bleach or milk jugs, with the bottoms cut off, are a popular choice because they're cheap and they have caps that can be unscrewed during the day to release excess heat.

14. Plan ahead.

You can't get a jump start on the season if you don't have the seeds you need when time comes to plant them. Since our local stores don't display seeds until weeks after we think seeds ought to be started, we do a lot of our garden shopping by mail (see "Mail-Order Mania," issue #129).

Buying by mail, however, can be more expensive than purchasing locally. One way to save money and have the seeds you want when you want them is to grow open-pollinated (nonhybrid) varieties this year and save their seeds for next year. Although you'll have to observe certain precautions — like planting open-pollinated varieties of like kind far enough apart to avoid crosspollination — you'll enjoy other advantages besides saving money.

For one thing, plants successfully grown in your garden from year to year will become acclimated to your particular area, and will therefore do better than seeds originating elsewhere. For another thing, the plants will always grow true to form, so you shouldn't have any surprises. Nothing can throw a garden plan farther off than purchasing seeds of a favorite variety, only to find that it's been "improved" and no longer behaves the same as it once did.

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