Most folks who garden in a Zone 3 gardening zone with about 103 - 105 frost free growing days, want to get their garden in as soon as possible. Some influencers from the area will also state that if you don't have it in by May 20, you are wasting your time. I have always challenged that mantra and although I have put it in at the time in the past, the last number of years I find myself putting the garden in later and later. But this year was the latest.
The 2026 Spring Setup
I had decided this year to declare war on quack grass and brome grass as my garden has turned into a bit of a lawn. Additionally, as it was 3 years of the original woven weed fabric being in place, I wanted to remove it and refresh the soil. With this in mind, during the late spring I cleaned one of my coops and dumped it on the garden with the plan of getting it worked in.
But, as you may remember, May was a cold, wet, snowy month and with life and work I did not get into the garden until the last week of May.
But it happened only a little at a time. As a result the grasses got a little more developed. Sounds like excuses, I know.
Although it could also be said that the heart was not in it, I continued with the plan as I had made during the winter, slowly. In the winter I dumped a bunch of chicken manure on the garden with the plan that the guy who normally works the garden for me on occasion would be able to incorporate it. Unfortunately, he backed out at the last moment. So I continued to rip the woven weed fabric off, pulled out the trellis (who knew t-posts would be so difficult to pull out),
used my tractor to spread the manure and then dug out my 60+ year old roto - tiller and started working on it. It was hateful. The grass was unreal and the manure, from all the rain, was slimy. I did my best though.
So, I decided then and there that only the areas of the garden with little grass would be worked. The rest of it, I decided that I would scalp and just put the fabric over it. So that's what I did. I did start on the east side of the garden and started rebuilding the garden a little at a time, planting as I went.
Planting the Zone 3 2026 Garden
Started with two rows of fabric, followed by uncovered rows for onions and potatoes (previously covered for 3 years) and then a number of rows covered after that. It was like a puzzle figuring out how to use existing holes in the fabric to work with this garden.
Once done then I needed to again establish trellis for the tomatoes and one for peas. I originally had 5 rows of trellis, but now only have 3. Following this is some bare ground that was last year under cover. So I used this for carrots, peas, onions, beets, parsnips.
Then there is the lawn that I covered with no planting in it. And finally the last bit of the garden for some spuds, brassica's, corn and raspberries was left uncovered. Each section was then planted as I developed.
It took some juggling and some redoing of the original plan I had (as I've said before, only a guide) and with only being able to do a little at a time as life gave me the time, the garden did not get in till July 14, about two weeks past my latest ever planting date.
Starting from the east edge to the west, the sorghum, tomatillo's and such were transplanted on July 1. Potatoes were planted the same day. The carrots, peas, squash were planted on July 9. The corn was planted on July 10 with another batch of potatoes and sun flower at the end. Tomatoes were transplanted on July 12 and the cabbage planted on July 14. The holes between the tomatoes and throughout the garden were filled with extra purple brassica's on Jul 15. I did have to reseed beans and cukes on the 22nd because rodents cut them off. It's late, but it's in!
The Garden Realization
However, on July 15 I started to look around and realized that in working the potato patch, I had spread the grass from other parts of the garden, the rodents ate off some tomatoes, a mole took out some transplants pulling them down through their planting holes in the woven weed fabric and some early transplants died.
So glad I got three cat's!! They went out after they were healed from the neutering. Look out rodents!
But the funny thing, I laughed out loud actually, was while planting tomatoes I realized that I did not need 2 rows of trellis. In fact only half a row was necessary. LOL. For the last years I have planted over 100 plants, but this year I only started about 40. I guess I forgot that when putting up trellis. lol. So I pivoted. I decided to leave the first 8 plants as planted but decided to skip two planting holes between varieties and fill them in with purple broccoli and cauliflower. This took 1 1/4 rows, so decided to put the red acre cabbage in the second row and filled in the rest with some 65 ish day pole dry beans. Namely, Blooming Prairie, Early Warwick and Hanna Hank.
Although I typically put row covers over brassica's for cabbage root maggot, I should be out of their normal life cycle with how late I planted. And while I will still cover the main crop of brassica's to protect from the cabbage lopper, the purple varieties I planted with the tomatoes will be left to their own devices. But I am also trying it to see if my observations are correct. I have noticed that purple varieties of brassicas don't seem to attract loppers. So with these two things in mind I am hoping the uncovered brassicas will be fine.
A few days after planting completion I did go through and filled in the missing plants in the holes. But while doing that I realized that only one squash plant came up. Was it old seed or the weather? I was not sure. But being that I originally planted my squash on July 9, I decided to throw some additional seeds into the holes. If the original don't come up and the second is too late, I had seeded squash the middle of June in the other gardens, so I should be fine. However, if the corn is any indication, I should be fine. It was planted on July 10 and was coming up four days later.
Zone 3 2026 Garden - Final Thoughts
I should be fine with the whole garden. I guess we will see. Hopefully my plan works and I become more enthusiastic about the garden, but for now, I had to try.
If you are ever faced with the garden going in late, do not despair. You may have to pay some closer attention to the days to maturity of things and you may have to plant more of things to get the same volume, but go ahead and put it in anyway. Try! After all, seeds don't grow if left in the packet.
I still have some more woven weed fabric to put down along the edges, but the garden, albeit late, is in! The good Lord willing, I will be harvesting in the fall.
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Additional Resources
If you want to keep reading about how I have done with planting the garden later than most, be sure to check out:
- Does Gardening Save Me Money - A Year In Review
- Does Gardening Save Me Money - A Year In Review - 2024 Edition
- Does Gardening Save Money - A Year In Review...2025 edition
