What Can I Plant Now?

I see all kinds of plants arriving in nurseries and garden stores. We don’t have to wait for official spring to begin planting in the Pacific Northwest. We don’t even have to wait for a warm, sunny day.

Now is a great time to plant trees, shrubs and all kinds of woody permanent plants. Dormant bare root and root wrapped plants such as roses, fruit trees and asparagus are available now. Sold without a container or soil, they are cheaper than potted plants.

We see pansies and primroses everywhere. Other cold hardy flowers will soon be available. I saw some sweet pea starts yesterday in a nursery. Now is an excellent time to plant sweet pea seeds. Perennial flowers can be planted now.

Started lettuce, broccoli and cabbage plants are also available now. Many cold hardy vegetables like peas, root crops (carrots, onions, radishes, beets), leaf crops (lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard), and flower bud crops (broccoli, cauliflower) can be planted from seed now.

If you have a tree or shrub which you would like to relocate, now is the time to do it before leaf buds start to sprout.