Cold spring weather won’t stop these garden favorites in NJ

I can't remember the last time we've had such a persistently cold winter. Even the days leading into the first official start of spring feel more like January.

Although yes, we did have that very warm tease for a few days, which was nice. And fortunately, we'll have more moments like that in the near future as the days continue to get longer and warmer and winter slowly loses its grip.

But because it's been so cold, the last thing on our minds is probably gardening. After all, don't we need warm temperatures to get out there?

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Not necessarily. Yes, it certainly helps overall, but there are some early season veggies that don't mind the cold. And here in New Jersey, there are a handful of options you can start prepping for now.

Here's just a sampling of some early season crops you can start at home in the coming weeks.

Delayed start

Peas, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, celery, and onion are just a few of the more popular early season crops you can start prepping to plant now.

Yes, some of these are also usually OK to start in February. But with how brutally cold and snowy this winter has been, it made it nearly impossible to get anything started outdoors.

March and April, however, are not too late. In fact, that's usually an ideal window to get some of those cooler weather crops started outside. Just don't wait too long since you never know if that summer heat will arrive early.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.