Direct-sowing cold tolerant crops such as beets, broccoli, salad mixes (including choy and kale), peas, potatoes, leeks and carrots can also start now (weather depending). 

This is by far our favourite way to grow veggies, because it avoids the costs of seed starting supplies or buying transplants later in the season. You can expect to save about 90% by direct-sowing rather than buying transplants.

Asparagus, one of our favourite perennial crops can also be planted now. To establish asparagus, the best thing to do is start with "crowns" (1-year-old plants) planted 12-inches apart, 2-inches into well drained soil with a generous amount of compost. Being dioecious, there are male and female asparagus plants. 

The females produce red berries in the fall which contain seeds that can produce new crowns, and the males do not. The male plants do not expend energy producing seeds, they are generally more productive as a harvest crop. 

It might take you 2-3 years to get a really great crop - you're starting from the start here, after all - but you will reap the benefits of harvest for up to 20 years or more.

If you intend to plant sweet corn later in the month, remember that more short rows will pollinate better than a couple long rows.

Mulch your garlic now that it is poking through the soil. We tend to plant the garlic into bare soil in the fall, and mulch around it once it's about 2-3 inches high. Leaving the dark soil bare will warm up sooner and adding mulch now will insulate it as the early spring temperatures continue to fluctuate and before weeds can germinate through the row.

 

Having taken these steps you will have a tremendous head start over your neighbours and friends, and by June there will be no catching up for them.

There's nothing like getting a great start.