Early Garden Itch

About the time the snow melts and bare ground appears, most gardeners get the itch to grow things. In northern Utah, gardeners need to be careful with that itch. The best way to relieve the gardening itch is to plant hardy vegetables, says USU Extension horticulturist Jerry Goodspeed. There are several hardy vegetables that thrive in northern Utah’s cooler spring weather. Goodspeed says the first vegetable to go into most gardens is peas. Peas grow with few problems and give gardeners something to eat in late May while planting the more important crops. After planting peas, good spring garden choices include radishes, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli and spinach.