I've seen a few suggestions of when to plant various veggies based on bloom times or leaf out of native plants. Seems like they would respond to soil temps, daylight, etc in ways that would make them good indicators. What ones do you use? Have you heard some but not used them?

Here's a few I've seen. I've not tested them well but my very unscientific tests have shown them to be useful.

***Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of squirrel ears.

***Plant English peas when forsythia blooms.

***Plant potatoes when dandelions bloom.

I think all three are reasonable but maybe on the conservative side. That may reflect the time they came from when planting too early might mean no seed available to replant and a long hungry year. I'll often throw a few seeds in my small garden quite early and figure if I lose the gamble it won't take much time or expense to redo it. That would be different if I had acres to plant or nowhere to get more seed.

Let's hear your phenological cues.