Every spring, it’s the same thing: we all look forward to tasting the first vegetables from our garden. Early vegetables mark the beginning of the season. How can you harvest vegetables before everyone else?
To harvest vegetables all year round, there’s nothing like early vegetables! With a little method and suitable varieties, it’s entirely possible to get your first vegetables early in the season.
Early vegetables help to make the transition between winter vegetables and summer production. They are harvested in spring, and until mid-summer. They are therefore a great help, when the vegetable garden is not yet at its peak of production, and when winter stocks are dwindling!
What are early vegetables?
Harvested young, before they are fully ripe, early vegetables are tender and their flavor is delicious. Among them, it is possible to cite:
- Radishes: sow from January to March, depending on your climate. Choose the varieties ‘Radis de 18 jours’, ‘Kiva’ or ‘Fluo F1’;
- Carrots: sow from February. Choose from ‘Amsterdam’, ‘Marché de Paris’, ‘Nantaise courte à forr’ or ‘Bellot’;
- Lettuce: sow from March. Choose ‘Reine de mai’, ‘Dorée de Printemps’, or ‘Gloire de Nantes’.
- Peas: sow in autumn or February. Choose seeds with smooth grains, less sensitive to cold, such as ‘Précoce de Mai’ or ‘Douce Provence’;
- Potatoes: plant between February and March. Choose ‘Belle de Fontenay’, ‘Rosabelle’ or ‘Amandine’;
- White onions: sow in late summer, or as early as February. Choose from ‘Snowball’, ‘Blanc de Paris’, or ‘Premier’;
- Turnips: sow from February to April. Choose ‘Rouge plat hâtif’, ‘Milan à forger’, or the early Auvergne turnip.
Other varieties are interesting to test, according to your tastes. However, be sure to choose seasonal vegetables and early varieties, more suited to early cultivation.
How to grow early vegetables?
When growing vegetables early in the season, it is essential to protect them from cold and bad weather. There are several techniques for forcing vegetables and obtaining beautiful early harvests.
- Hotbed: This method uses the heat released by the fermentation of fresh manure to grow vegetables earlier. Hotbeds are inexpensive, can be used as early as January, but require time and some work to set up;
- Under frame : Frames are ideal for early crops, but space is limited. You will also need to monitor watering and the temperature, which can quickly rise on sunny days. Permanent frames made with wooden formwork and glass will require a small investment, unless you are a handyman;
- Under tunnel : tunnel greenhouses allow you to gain a few degrees and protect plants from bad weather. The same goes for mini-forcing tunnels, which have the advantage of being a little less expensive, of being able to be moved according to your needs, and of being suitable for growing in rows. You will need to monitor ventilation, unless you opt for a perforated forcing film;
- Under a bell jar : glass or plastic forcing bell jars help retain heat and humidity to speed up the growth of vegetables. Be careful on sunny days, when it will be necessary to remove the bell jar and replace it before nightfall. Also make sure to leave a ventilation space so that air can circulate. This will prevent the development of fungal diseases;
- Electric heaters for seedlings : For seedlings that need time to reach their planting stage, such as peppers and eggplants, using electric heaters is a reliable option. Heating mats are available commercially, but it is also possible to make your own heating table.
