Cold Crops - types to plant & general question

[MissSJ]

Hi Everyone,
I'm a first time gardener living in the CO plains area outside of Colorado Springs. As far as cold crops go, are they all replaced by things like tomatoes & cucumbers? Can I plant my entire garden in cold crops now and later plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers..?

Here is the list of cold crops carried at my local garden shop:
Russian Red Kale
Stonehead Cabbage
Brussel Sprout
Fort Laramie Strawberry
Quinnault Strawberry
Cauliflower
Ruby Perfection Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Flowering Cabbage
lettuce
swiss chard
Peacock Red Kale
Emperor White Kale
Premium Crop Broccoli

Are there other options I can start by seed right now, like peas? Others?
Do any of these plants produce veggies all summer?

I'm trying to plan out my beds so I can get plants in maybe by this weekend/early next week.

Thanks
SJ

[deditus]

Originally Posted by MissSJ

Hi Everyone,
I'm a first time gardener living in the CO plains area outside of Colorado Springs. As far as cold crops go, are they all replaced by things like tomatoes & cucumbers? Can I plant my entire garden in cold crops now and later plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers..?

Here is the list of cold crops carried at my local garden shop:
Russian Red Kale
Stonehead Cabbage
Brussel Sprout
Fort Laramie Strawberry
Quinnault Strawberry
Cauliflower
Ruby Perfection Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Flowering Cabbage
lettuce
swiss chard
Peacock Red Kale
Emperor White Kale
Premium Crop Broccoli

Are there other options I can start by seed right now, like peas? Others?
Do any of these plants produce veggies all summer?

I'm trying to plan out my beds so I can get plants in maybe by this weekend/early next week.

Thanks
SJ

Yes, peas should be planted now. We have direct planted seed for radishes, beets, carrots, scallions, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, and arugula. I have started plants in peat pellets of cauliflower, broccoli, collards, and kale that I will plant in the ground soon. I may let some of them regrow after the first harvest (spinach, swiss chard), but usually the crop is not as good as the first. I will replace these with warm season crops like tomatoes, cukes, peppers, summer squash, beans. Some of the cole crops require a longer period of time until harvest and you may not be able to replace them with a crop that needs longer to mature, but may be followed with short season crop like lettuce, spinach, carrots or beets.

[JamieCatheryn]

You can start lots of things from seed in early spring. Lettuce, Peas, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets. I'm not sure of your question about planting the entire garden in them now then hot weather things later, many will still be growing when it's time to plant hot weather things and so you won't be able to clear the space for other things.

[Daffodil]

Most of the things you listed will take so long to mature that you'll need to keep using the same space for them all summer. (Lettuce is the one exception.) Strawberries are perennials - they'll survive the winter and still be growing in the same spot next year.

Swiss chard will produce all summer. Broccoli will produce one main crop of heads partway through the summer, then continue to produce smaller sprouts for a while. Brussels sprouts will take all summer (and probably on into fall) to mature. Radishes and spinach will mature in spring/early summer and then can be replaced with something else. Peas, carrots, and beets can be planted now, but won't mature in time to be replaced with hot weather crops. (But you could plant quick-maturing fall crops in the same place later.)

[MissSJ]

Thanks for your replies. I was confused after seeing a diagram in a garden magazine showing spring plants in the spring, then they were replaced in the summer with things like tomatoes and then those were replaced in the fall.

I'm organized now and pretty much have a layout of how I'm going to plant things.