I’m anxious to get my garden in the ground. There have been times when I have been so ready to grow things that I end up killing all my seedlings because I put them outside before a late frost hits.

The thing is, my climate only has about 100 days of growing season. Certain plants need that time and more in order to even produce any food. So, I have a few special tricks up my sleeve that get me a head start on the season, and as a bonus, the earliest tomatoes in town.

Cover your seedlings:

Go ahead and plant early. Just be sure that you have a plan to keep the air around your tender plants warm, but not hot. I like to use row covers and low tunnels. Row covers are a fabric that you can lay over plants on cold nights. It’s basically a blanket. Low tunnels are plastic layered over a wire hoop shape that makes a miniature greenhouse around the plants.

Other options for covering plants are to use milk jugs with the bottom cut off, or even buckets if you just need to protect from a cold night or two. The most important thing to remember is to monitor the temperature. The temperature inside a plastic milk jug or a low tunnel in the sun can reach much hotter than the outside air. Remember to vent well on sunny days and recover your plants a few hours before sunset so they absorb some heat for the night time.

Choose dwarf and miniature plants:

When covering plants it is much easier to protect a small plant than a large one. Because of this I like to only protect young plants or slightly older but dwarf size plants. Miniature plants also take less time to grow so they are a better option in northern climate gardens anyway. My micro tomatoes have become one of my favorite garden plants because they can grow and give fruit in just 30 days!

Consider supplemental heat:

I tend to avoid heating my outdoor spaces, but a little heat put in the right location can make a huge difference to your plants. If you choose to cover your plants with row covers or low tunnels, heat cables can be set in the soil next to them. The low heat from the cables is highly efficient and it warms the root zone just enough to boost your plant’s growth when it is cold. Just remember to monitor the temperature, it might not be necessary to run the cables if the sun is out warming the plants for you.

Start seeds indoors

The most common impatient gardening tactic is to begin growing plants indoors before the weather warms. Starting your own seedlings can be rewarding. It also gives you access to varieties and cultivars that you would not be able to buy from a garden center. If you choose to go this route I recommend using a lamp to add extra light. The light from a window, even if it is south facing, is not enough to grow robust seedlings that will thrive when transplanted in the garden. LED lights with a color temperature between 500 and 600 are inexpensive and good enough for seed starting.

Try new crops:

Certain crops tolerate the cold better than others. Growing radishes is easier than growing zucchini squash in cold weather because radishes are adapted to cold temperatures. If the plants you are used to growing can’t tolerate your weather, try experimenting by growing some new crops that are more adapted. You’ll get to learn about some different plants and maybe find a new favorite.

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I hope these tips help you get a garden in the ground sooner. If you have any more solutions for the impatient gardener I would love to hear them in the comments below! Maybe I’ll find some new ideas for my own garden. Thank you and keep up the good garden work!

-Adelaide