What to sow in a garden bed in the spring before planting tomatoes: the secret of a double harvest from those with a small garden
A thrifty owner does not waste a single piece of land. Even a tomato bed produces a harvest before the main crop is planted.
The right combination of plants allows you to get two or even three harvests per year from one place. It is especially important to know such combinations for those who have little space in the garden, but want to grow a lot of things.
In this case, you need to not only experiment on your own, but also adopt the experience of those summer residents who cannot boast of a large plot.
What to plant in a bed where tomatoes will grow in early spring
1. Radish
The ripening period of this crop rarely exceeds one month. You can find varieties that take 16-18 days from germination to harvest. Radish sprouts when the soil warms up to 5 degrees, grows well despite the spring cold and is capable of producing several harvests if sown at intervals of 5-7 days. Choose early varieties to have time to harvest several crops before you need to plant tomatoes.
2. Salad
Lettuce sprouts can appear at a temperature of +3 degrees, and if the soil has warmed up to +7, then the lettuce will definitely sprout and feel great. The first harvest can be collected in 25-30 days.
3. Arugula
Like lettuce, this cold-resistant crop sprouts and grows well in the spring, producing tender, abundant greens that can be used in a month. Plus, arugula belongs to the cruciferous family, which is a good predecessor for tomatoes.
4. Chinese cabbage
In early spring, you can plant seedlings of Chinese cabbage in a tomato bed. By the end of May, it has time to grow, after which it is put away for storage. Chinese cabbage can also be eaten instead of salad, cutting off the green leaves. And then plant tomatoes in its place.
5. Chinese cabbage
It is also called pak choi. It forms a rosette of leaves with juicy petioles. It also grows quickly and is eaten until mid-late May.
6. Peas
There are early varieties of peas, the harvest of which can be harvested in 50-60 days. Peas grow a little longer than greens, so they can be planted in a row on the edge of the bed and trellised. Such a living wall will protect tomato seedlings planted in the bed from the wind and aggressive rays of the sun, and when the seedlings adapt, the peas can be removed from the bed.
7. Spinach
Another early, fast-growing crop that will delight the whole family with greenery in the spring. It takes about 30 days from germination to harvesting spinach. It grows well in cold weather and can withstand light frosts.
All the plants listed here and others like them can be grown together, combining them. To ensure that the shoots appear earlier and develop more actively, it is recommended to stretch a film over the bed. These plants can also be grown in a greenhouse, because there they can be sown 2-3 weeks earlier than in open ground.
