Wow, spring sure arrived early this year! You may already be eating radishes and greens, and your carrots, beets, and friends should be coming along nicely. Didn’t get to it yet? Check my April article for early season veggie gardening tips. While the last frost date is key for warm-season vegetables, the main criterion is soil temperature.

Some flowers will do nothing (and may even die) if you plant them in cold soil; many vegetables are the same. And no flowers, no fruit, right? An instant-read probe cooking thermometer is fine. Once at that magic number – above 16 degrees Celsius at 10 cm deep – it is finally time to seed beans and curcurbits.

Try pole beans! They take less space, have a much longer bearing cycle, and are easy to pick. Build a strong teepee, two metres or taller, and plant six or seven beans at the base of each pole, “eye” down. Curcurbits (emphasis on the second “cur”) is the name of the family that includes cucumbers, pumpkins, summer squash (zucchini), and squash.

Be selective. Cukes should prove pleasantly prolific by August. Zucchini is notorious for overproducing, but smaller summer squash (such as patty-pan) are worthwhile. Unless you have a lot of room (or a fence to train them on), skip the pumpkins and squash. Mind you, spaghetti squash is always a bit pricey and also keeps well, and pumpkins can be trippy to grow with kids.

My experience is that Mont-Tremblant is too chilly for real success with peppers and eggplant. Tomatoes can be awesome, though! Best are cherry, grape, and mid-sized varieties.

Why not try the funky heirloom types? Start with nice big plants (30 cm+), work some extra compost into a good-sized hole, and plant firmly. Set cages or stakes right away, the bigger the better. Any of the above should be covered on cold evenings so they don’t stall.

Happy planting!

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