The Cleveland Seed Bank has made these seeds available for free at many local libraries.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Even though the temperatures are still fluctuating wildly and we are six to eight weeks away from our last frost, several types of vegetables can be sown outside now in time for harvesting before your Memorial Day picnic.

These are “cool-season crops,” such as kale, beets, radishes, spinach, hearty lettuces, peas, and collards, which prefer cool soil temperatures and can take some frost. (In fact, some varieties of kale are said to taste better after a light frost, and in the right conditions, continue growing through the winter here.) Reader Ray Herrmann suggests planting these seeds among perennials for an interesting and productive use of space that also helps hide the plants from deer and rabbits. You can also make use of empty annual containers to grow some leafy greens while you wait to plant your petunias.

Better yet, seeds are available for free at several libraries in Northeast Ohio, and you don’t even need a library card. From now until fall, the Cleveland Seed Bank is giving away packets for twenty “organic, open-pollinated” types of seeds. Because they are open-pollinated, the seeds they will produce as mature plants can be saved and planted, so you can have your own self-sustaining food source. Although they strongly encourage you to save the seeds for replanting and sharing, it is not required; all you have to do is choose up to five seed packets.

See Susan Brownstein’s past gardening columns here.

Another benefit of this program is the Cleveland Seed Bank has narrowed down the selections to a few that have already been successfully grown in this region, so it takes the guesswork out of choosing what variety to grow. (If you take home tomato, pepper, or eggplant seeds, there is still time to start them indoors.)

Seed packets can cram a lot of information for growing them inside or outside almost any part of the country, and the instructions are also geared toward planting in rows in a traditional (and large) vegetable garden.

For planting in an existing flower bed, I ignore the packets and tuck in a few seeds wherever there is 12 to 18 inches of space in a sunny spot. A general rule of thumb is to cover seeds with as much soil as the seed’s diameter, so I take a stick or pencil to create a shallow furrow, sprinkle seeds every inch or so, and gently recover with loose soil. This is a great activity to do with a kid in your life, although it is wise to give them a few seeds at a time if you don’t want to end up with 30 plants in the same spot.

If I notice that birds have attacked the planting area and stolen the seeds, I’ll sow again, this time covering the area with a bit of chicken wire or plastic sheeting until the seedlings emerge. Then I will thin them to the distance recommended on the packet.

I am particularly excited to try growing lacinto kale, also known as dinosaur kale. This Italian heirloom variety has thinner, darker leaves and the baby leaves have a more delicate flavor than other types of kale. It also has tall, almost tropical-looking growth, which should make for a unique splash of foliage among the rhododendrons and roses emerging from dormancy. As many moms and food marketers have discovered, kids are often willing to try food with a funny name or unusual color, so what could be better than blue leaves named for their reptilian texture?

With that logic in mind, I also chose a packet of freckles lettuce, which is an upright romaine with reddish spots, like it has already been dashed with a balsamic vinaigrette. When it is time to harvest, we’ll revisit this topic, with tips and tricks for saving, storing, and exchanging seeds, including some from readers, so email me if you would like yours included.

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