Growing season is upon us in NJ: Plant these now

New Jersey is on the cusp of another great growing season. In fact, the growing season for 2025 has already begun... sort of.

Early spring is the ideal time to start getting your garden ready in New Jersey. However, you do want to be mindful not to disturb the ground too much if it still hasn't had a chance to warm up a little bit yet.

Some critters still haven't awakened yet from the long winter, which may include earthworms. If you do plant directly into the ground, try not to disturb too much of it.

Of course, you could also start planting in pots and transfer into the ground once the ground warms up a bit more. This might also be true for raised beds if they've been sitting filled with soil all winter.

If you start your garden in pots and purchase soil to start it off, then you should have no problems. The option is yours.

Early options

There are many cool weather options you could plant now that'll thrive as the spring progresses. Even in winter, some of these options can go in weeks before the official start of spring.

The following list is just some of the favorites at my house. Although it does take quite a bit of work, getting in the garden is also very rewarding.

For those looking to try it for the first time, these are some great options to consider. And considering how constantly cold this past winter has been, I cannot wait to get back into my garden once again.

What about zucchini?

If you're considering growing zucchini, just keep this in mind. Unlike the options listed above, zucchini is not an early-season vegetable to be planted outside.

Like most warmer weather options, zucchini should not be planted outside until after the danger of frost has passed, which is usually around Mother's Day in May. But that doesn't mean you can't start it by seed inside.

With that said, if you're tight on space or have had trouble growing zucchini in the past, here are some tips that have worked for me. Especially where space is limited, this trick works very well in my garden.

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