My Garden in 2020: An Updated Timeline of Events for the Full Year

My Garden in 2020 - March 18

This is the running timeline of my garden in 2020.

One blog post to rule them all.


March 23

The Russian Red Kale I started in small containers in my garage 5 days ago started sprouting. I took the plastic off the top of the sprouts and moved the containers out to the mini greenhouse so they can get light and start getting used to air flow.

I will move them all outside as they sprout and on the coldest of nights I’ll be bringing them back into the garage over the next couple of weeks until they are ready to transplant out into the garden.

Russian Red Kale Sprouts in 5 Days on March 23

You can see more detail on these plants on this page – I’m Growing Kale!.


March 21

Late this evening after the kids went to bed my wife and I finally decided to transplant the starts she worked a few weeks back in Jiffy pods. Most were really leggy and some were starting to get a bit yellow as the nutrients from the seed was used up.

For the most part we transplanted a bunch of arugula starts so these will probably be ready just a week or two before my arugula planted directly in the garden will be unless we waited to long to transplant. For now they are still in potting mix in pots in the green house and we may end up transplanting them again to the garden in a week or two.


March 19

Today I planted a thick overseeded couple of half rows of Rocket Arugula and about 50 spinach seeds into half rows in bed #3. I covered these half rows with greenhouse plastic.

Arugula and Spinach Seeds Planted March 19

I was going to transplant some starts that my wife whipped up in Jiffy pods a couple of weeks back but finally opted to transplant them into soil filled containers and harden them off in the mini-greenhouse first. For now they sit on the windowsill waiting for that transplant to soil containers.

Finally I decided to dedicate a few half lines in bed #3 to three different varieties of radish. These are super fast to grow and super cold hardy so even though most people in my family don’t like the spiciness of radish I think this early on in the season most varieties will be fairly mild.


March 18

I weeded beds 3 & 4 and planted old carrot seeds and new beet seeds in the back corners of bed three.

carrot and beet seeds - march 18

Since we are getting over night lows in the upper 20’s every night right now I decided to cover the seeded spots with greenhouse plastic to help with germination.

covered my march carrots and beets

I expect these seeds to germinate before the end of March, but honestly I don’t know how long it will take due to the current climate. We had snow on the ground for the past four days and the next four days are supposed to be in the 50s before dropping back down into the 30s next week. You never know how things go without trying so here goes nothing.

Russian Red Kale - 7 year old seedI also planted some really old Russian Red Kale seed into a seed starter mix in my garage which is sitting at a stable 58 degrees or so.

I then covered the top of the starts with plastic to give the seeds the best chance of germination – they are seven year old seeds though so I didn’t want to just put them directly in the garden beds.

If I can get them to germinate then I’ll transplant them outside by the 1st of April probably. I will probably also pop a hole in the plastic in two days to let the moisture vent a bit. Ideally they will germinate by March 23 but it may take longer due to their age.

Plans for the Near Future in the Garden

► March 26 – Plant two different types of lettuce into bed #3 under plastic to speed up germination.
► March 29 – Remove greenhouse plastic from the top of arugula sprouts in bed #3.
► April 1 – Transplant Kale from greenhouse to garden.
► April 1 – Remove greenhouse plastic from over the top of carrots and beet starts in garden bed #3.

More Gardening Stuff That I’m Up To

I’m starting to post more lengthy posts on exactly what I’m doing with certain veggies and plants in the garden. I hesitate to call these guides because I’m not an expert, just doing the best I can with what knowledge and materials I have.

How I’m Growing Kale At Home
Is Old Dead Brown Grass or Thatch a Nitrogen Source for Compost?
Is it Better to Make Compost Raised Off The Ground or On The Ground?

More to Come!

Brian Mounts

I'm an author, editor, video creator & DIY lawn care expert. I live in Klamath Falls, Oregon with my wife and four children. You can follow me on YouTube, Instagram, or purchase any of my premium web-courses here.

Recent Posts