With the ground thawed and the days growing longer, vegetable planting season is well underway in southern Ohio. If you live in an area where you experience harsh winters, it can be difficult to know the right time to plant vegetables and varieties that will thrive. Lakeview Garden Center & Landscaping in Fairfield has experts who understand proper planning for vegetable gardens in the region, and they share gardening tips for what to plant and when.

It’s important to begin with a garden design so you know how much space you have for planting. Gardening experts recommend you arrange plants close enough together to retain soil moisture but far enough apart so you can tend to them easily without crushing leaves or compacting the soil.

There’s still time to plant a prosperous vegetable garden in late spring and early summer. Many tender vegetables like corn, peppers, eggplant, beans, and tomatoes will flourish during the long, sunny days ahead. Because these vegetables don’t handle frost well, it’s best to wait until the end of May or early June to plant them to avoid potential cold snaps. If you’re hoping to plant summer vegetables such as cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and beans, wait until the temperature of the soil is at least 60 degrees.

If you’re starting to think about your vegetable garden for next year, the earliest you should start planting outside is mid-February. Vegetable varieties that can germinate this early include onions, potatoes, and snow peas. However, if the ground is still frozen, gardening experts say you should wait until it begins to thaw.

Vegetables like lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage can be planted in pots indoors to germinate at the beginning of February, then transferred to the ground at the end of March. You also can plant them directly into the ground starting at the beginning of March. 

If you’re looking for more advice about planting vegetables in southern Ohio, look to Lakeview Garden Center & Landscaping in Fairfield. This garden store offers everything from landscape designs and hardscapes to gardening accessories, so they can supply everything you need to make your yard beautiful and bountiful. For more information about their services, call (513) 829-6624 or contact them online.