I have been letting crops self seed a lot, so planting times are easy to tell. Some snap beans came up letting me know it was time to plant beans. Tomatoes are also sprouting. Shiso is sprouting and this tells me it is too early to plant basil, but soon. When the lettuces bolt it is time to plant the squash - or when the squash volunteers, time to plant more squash.

One I've heard is "Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of squirrel ears." I don't know how useful that is since I've not tried it and don't know if it would be field corn or sweet corn which requires warmer soil for germination. And I'm not real familiar with the size of squirrel ears either...be they red squirrel, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, or southern flying squirrel. Maybe I'll experiment with it this spring.

Called phenology, there are many of them I recall from childhood but can't say I practice them - at least not consciously. ;) I think there was a discussions about it here not too long ago that a search should pull up for you if interested.

Plant peas when the daffodils bloom. Plant peppers when the iris bloom. Plant the potatoes when the first dandelion blooms.

Dave

If I remember correctly, the tradition in Massachusetts was to plant peas on Patriots Day and eat them with salmon on July 4th. (not nature, but a tradition)

Here's a link that has some phenology lore. I think the Old Farmer's Almanac also has lore about this.

Here is a link that might be useful: Phenology

Peas on st Paddy's day, in the boston area, or z5-6 non-coastal. Here off the Cape, mid-march is too early most years because the maritime climate warms slower. Everything is later than inland, so we can't go by their dates.

Funny thing, according to the Mayflower report, by Bradford, the colonists planted the corn and beans - that they took from Indian stores that they had found - according to the timing of southern england. Early march, at least two months early. Nine years out of ten, all of that would have failed, and the mayflower pioneers that survived the first winter might well have all perished. But it was that one year out of ten, warm rains came and no frost, the pilgrims were of course quite unsurprised and had their crops. Obviously, in later years they must have realized how incredibly lucky that was.

My neighbor mentioned something the other day about pruning roses when the Forsythia starts to bloom.

We're having an early spring, and the buds on my Japanese maple are swelling Probably it's time to plant some peas! I was at our old house today and arugula I planted last fall was bolting!?

I live in northern New Mexico (USA) on the east slope of the Jemez mountains. Looking across the Rio Grand valley towards the Sangre de Christo mountains just west and north of Santa Fe, there are two bare slopes on the Sangres that look like a folk art rooster and a folk art hen. The local lore is that summer crops (tomatoes, chile, squash, beans) are not planted until all the snow has melted off the "chickens." Santa Fe is over 6000 feet above sea level (and has a ski area), and on my side of the valley Los Alamos is above 7000 feet (and has a ski area), so waiting for the chickens to be free of snow often puts us into mid May, in spite of our southern latitude. Spinach, peas, lettuce, and other cool-weather crops are direct-seeded starting in early March (before Easter), and potatoes go in during early April.

Santa Fe local foods historically do not include tomatillas, as they do not ripen here most years. We grow short-season tomatoes for a reliable crop, and may get mid-season toms to ripen in your usual garden, but only hoop-house growers are betting on long-season heirlooms from the midwest.

Catherine

lantanascape's post reminded me of another....not for veggies, tho, and definitely not natural.

Apply preemergent crab grass preventer when the forsythia bloom......obviously you don't want to put this herbicide in your veggie garden.