Time for some vegetables to hit the dirt

My dad used to tell me that the roots get shocked from the cold and stop growing until they recover. Actually, I think it is more likely that the microbes in the soil are a bit inactive. Enzymatic reactions necessary to get water and minerals flowing are slowed down by the cold. So, as far as transplanting is concerned, you need to wait awhile. Be forewarned: For most plants, cool soils mean slow or no growth.

Do pull back mulches so soil is exposed. This will help it absorb some heat. If you need to water your gardens, try for warm water. Cloches, cold frames, plastic and apparatuses like "walls of water" will help speed up the process, though Mother Nature does pretty well all by herself.

That is not to say you can't plant anything this weekend. There are several seeds that will germinate in cool soil: peas, spinach, mustard, kale and chard. These can go directly into your garden now, giving you an early start on at least some things.

Planting those first seeds directly in the garden always brings up the issue of rototilling and double digging. These practices, no matter how long you have been doing them (and no matter what you have read in the past) are bad for your garden soil. They destroy the important soil food web and add to the reduction of carbon production in the soil. They also expose chickweed seed to light causing germination.

You do not have to rototill and, moreover, you shouldn't. Plants will grow though pavement. They don't need powdered soil. To plant seeds, either make an individual hole or take a stick, 2-by-4 or the handle end of a garden tool and make a shallow furrow in which to plant the seed. The least amount of disturbance of the soil is the rule. There is no need to tear up a whole garden to plant two-inch rows.

Next, as long as the snow is gone in your yard, you can plant onion and garlic starts as well as potatoes. Remember, the only potatoes to plant are those purchased from local nurseries and certified disease-free. I do not recommend using any of the previous year's crops.

Cut your seed spuds so that there is at least one eye on each piece. You can plant in large garbage cans (drainage required) or in the garden. Cover yours with two inches of soil and for the rest of the season, hill them so there are only a few inches of the growing tips uncovered.

Onion sets are 1/2- inch, onion bulbs with just a tiny bit of growth coming from each. You get them at nurseries. Plant these pre-started onions about 1-inch deep, separating each by an inch or so.

I have grown store-bought hard-neck garlic, but it is best to buy it from nurseries, if possible. Breaking apart garlic bulbs into cloves is called "cracking." The idea is to get a bit of the end of the bulb with each clove as this is where the clove's roots come from. Bury the cloves two inches deep, about 4 inches apart. The closer they are planted to each other, the smaller their bulbs will be.

For the rest of the garden stuff, just wait. Start hardening off, though, as it won't be a long wait.

America's longest-running garden columnist, Jeff Lowenfels, returns to the airwaves with "The Garden Party" on AM-700 KBYR at 10 a.m. on Saturday.