Not enough time for spring crops

lisaphoto 4/12/2011, 4:45 pm

I am all about my summer crops, like tomatoes, melons, squash and such. I plan on putting them out at the beginning of May to mid May (gotten conflicting results for last frost, I'm 6a). The problem is, I have every square dedicated to a spring crop right now(broccoli, sugar snap peas, lettuces), and some of them are just in seedling stage (lettuces). I want to get my summer crops out as soon as I can, but I don't think the spring crops will be ready to harvest by then. What do I do?

**camprn** 4/12/2011, 5:08 pm

you need more boxes. Wink

lisaphoto 4/12/2011, 5:12 pm

That isn't happening this year I'm broke and 8 months pregnant. My little tomato seedlings probably aren't going to be too impressive by planting time, so maybe I'll hold off a little longer and buy transplants. The other thing that sucks is the area weather, we go from freezing cold to burning hot, and the cool weather stuff bolts before it produces anything. I'll probably end up just ripping a lot up if it doesn't produce by then, but I'll feel bad about it. Sad

BackyardBirdGardner 4/12/2011, 5:24 pm

I would get whatever I can. Hold out and wait for at least one harvest, then YANK!!! I would try and keep lettuce going as long as I could, though, because we love salads and cheeseburgers around here. But, the rest I'm a bit impartial to.

Don't forget how long summer is, too. Beans will be pretty quick little guys to grow, so they can go in the squares you pull out last.

As for seedlings, I'm in your boat, too. My dog, though, has my sprouts running so far behind. The ones I had going "on time" she totalled. The ones I have going now are too small to do much. I'm likely headed for transplants, too.

Keep us posted!

**camprn** 4/12/2011, 5:24 pm

Hmm, well... maybe you can transplant your lettuces into something like a long window flower box. For the most bang out of the box, I would probably transplant the broccoli into buckets or other containers and put the tomatoes in those vacated squares. Tomatoes definitely produce more food per square than broccoli. The peas will be with you until the mid summer time. I'm sorry I cannot be more helpful to you. Hang in there !

lisaphoto 4/12/2011, 7:33 pm

can lettuce and such go under tomato and pepper plants, in the same square? Last year I did that with basil and it worked out well.

quiltbea 4/12/2011, 11:19 pm

lisaphoto.....You can tuck radishes and lettuce in among the larger plants like toms, peppers, broccoli and such. They will be grown and harvested before the large plants need the root room.
Also try spinach and harvest it young for salads, another tuckable.
In fact, they do better beneath larger leaves so they don't get all that hot sun. As they grow, they prefer a little protection from that fiery orb which can make them bolt.

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