Cold weather is done, time to plant T'maters!

[hoosierdoc]

I have been patiently waiting for two weeks. I think it's finally time in Indy. One more forecast low of 40 and then it warms up. I'm going to risk it I think and put the tomatoes in the ground.

we paid to have a new garden area tilled. Already planted corn, beans, peas, cucumber, yellow squash, carrots, radishes, and a few Brussels sprouts. Peppers and tomatoes are ready to rock!

 

[femurphy77]

Man you've been busy, we did an early plant a couple of years ago and got frosted out so never before May 1 again according to the garden boss. Our problem is we're headed out of town for a week so that'll put us behind. If you see a gray Honda pulled over after the maters come up, don't shoot, she'll only eat a few and then come home!

 

[ghuns]

I'm growing bacon seedlings and this weather is killin me. Cold piglets are not happy piglets. And unhappy piglets don't gain 2lbs/day.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'm planning on tilling and planting this weekend. Every time I've thought about tilling recently, we get rain just before the garden dries out enough to till.

 

[bocefus78]

Wow, you are early! I'm not even tilled up yet! My garden is in the wettest part of my yard, so I have to wait longer than I like to get mine in.
FWIW, Beans typically like a soil temp of 60+ degrees for a good germination. Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides - Growing Guide Tons of good info on that site. Plan on a replant there if I were you. A handy dandy meat (or IR gun) thermometer works good. Dig a couple inches, pack soil down, probe, and no more guessing or replanting.
BTW, This post made me take a look at the long term forecast. It says we are all good in the frost department so plant on INGO!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

My peas are already climbing, my garlic is up and we've picked asparagus and rhubarb, but I'm waiting a couple more weeks before I put my tender stuff in the ground.

I've been (frost) burned before.

 

[mom45]

It is too cold in the northern part of the state. I won't plant tomatoes and the other warmer weather plants until Memorial Day. The last time I planted around Mother's Day, everything got hit with a hard freeze and had to be replanted. I'll just keep playing in my perennials until then.

Hubby is tilling the second half of the garden now and I do have to weed the asparagus. He tilled up half of that patch yesterday and now KNOWS to stay out of that section! This morning he commented on how he almost got in trouble for that one. Apparently, I am losing the evil look I give him when he is in trouble because he was not reading it clearly yesterday.

 

[spencer rifle]

Yup, too cold. We had hard frost here just this morning. Probably will again. The last frost killed even our cold-hardy broccoli and kale .

 

[mom45]

We have another frost warning for tonight. It was sure nice today though!

 

[1911ly]

Up here I have always waited till after the 10th of May and have still been bit by frost a few times.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I think there are some pretty drastic differences between the north part of the state and the south part. For example, a few weeks ago when I was planting my tomatoes it was 70+ degrees and sunny down here. Northern part of the state was cloudy and 40 degrees. It's not unusual for us to be 10-20 degrees warmer in the spring.

Wow, you are early! I'm not even tilled up yet! My garden is in the wettest part of my yard, so I have to wait longer than I like to get mine in.
FWIW, Beans typically like a soil temp of 60+ degrees for a good germination. Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides - Growing Guide Tons of good info on that site. Plan on a replant there if I were you. A handy dandy meat (or IR gun) thermometer works good. Dig a couple inches, pack soil down, probe, and no more guessing or replanting.
BTW, This post made me take a look at the long term forecast. It says we are all good in the frost department so plant on INGO!

There are ways to take care of the soil temperature issue. Laying black plastic where your rows are will serve 3 purposes; heats the soil up, retains moisture, and prevents weeds from growing. There is a LOT that can be learned from commercial growers and a large number of commercial growers grow plants in this way because it reduces the need for irrigation, eliminates the need for them to weed/till/spray, and allows they to get the plants in the ground sooner.

 

[bwframe]

These buy you some early frost free time. I used them on and off for a few years. My best luck is to just wait until May 10. If I want real early tomatoes now days, I spend the $ for a large nursery Early Girl plant or two, still planted around the 10th, when the soil is beginning at tomato growing temps.