It’s Still Early for Most Planting

Houseplants and most garden vegetables will have you asking, Are we there yet?, this time of year. If it is still dipping below 50* at night, I’m afraid the answer is not quite.

The dining room jungle waiting for warmer overnight lows.

Spring is tricky. We can have several days in the 70s, even 80s, and still not be ready to put those non-cold hardy plants out. Despite my dining room and loft looking like jungles, those house plants need to stay inside for a bit longer. Despite running out of room to start more garden vegetables and flowers inside, they’re also going to have to stay in, at least overnight.

Squash, melons, tomatoes, peppers and most flowers can be damaged below 50-55*. Here in zone 6, we’re probably done with frosts and freezes, but even that isn’t a guarantee. The following are our tips and rules of thumb:

1.     Check the ten-day forecast. While forecasts are just guesses past three days, they’re based on good data. Wait until there are no lows below 50*. Again, not a guarantee it’ll stay that way, but we’re closing in on being done with cold nights. If you don’t want to risk it, wait until the first week of May (zone 6) to ensure 10 days of warm nights in the forecast.

Repotted Nasturtium, Poppy and Foxglove seedlings getting some fresh outside air for the day.

2.     Take those seedlings outside during the day when it’s warm. It’s also good to condition your seedlings to wind and slightly cooler temperatures than the inside of your house. We’re using leftover lasagna trays from our daughter’s wedding reception a few years ago, old cookie sheets and shallow bins to keep and transport seedlings.

3.     Repot anything getting large enough to become root-bound into a larger pot. The additional soil will give the plant more room for roots and add some nutrients that may have been washed out by watering.

4.     Water with collected water if possible. We have excellent tap water, but it is high in ph. A few seedlings were beginning to look sad so we switched to rainwater and they perked right up.

5.     Finally, if it’s too cold for these plants and vegetables, it’s also too cold to direct seed or plant bulbs for many flowers and vegetables such as zinnias, beans and cannas. Check the package or do a quick cold-hardiness search online before direct sowing.

Enjoy the wait. Once it’s over, keeping up will become a part-time summer job!

Audrey L Elder

Fourteen Acre Wood