A few warm sunny days in early spring can fool you into thinking spring is here for good. This is not always true.
When a string of warm spring weather arrives, it is tempting to get a jump on spring planting, particularly if you are a gardener suffering from spring fever. Planting too early though will cause more problems that it helps.
- Soil Temperatures: Soil temperatures take a long time to warm up. Even with a week of temperatures in the 70’s the soil will likely be very soggy and cold. If you plant into this cold, damp soil your seedlings will probably not grow and may even die from transplant shock. Some vegetables though are quite happy in cold ground. Traditionally potatoes are planted around March 1st, but the soil should be workable not great lumps of cold clay. Peas can also be started early in the season. It is possible to measure the temperature of the soil with a simple soil thermometer. These will record the soil temperature about 3inches below the ground, which is where the early roots will be.
- Last Frost Date: Each county and area within that county will have a date established for the average last frost date. This is an average only, and it should be kept in mind that frosts can occur later than this date. If you plant too far ahead of the date though you can be assured that cold weather is likely to return, even if just for a night or two, so be prepared to cover any plants that you have already taken or planted outside.
- Spring Storms and Floods: When strong cold weather systems march across the continent and collide with warm weather systems, storms occur. This is particularly true in spring. If the plants are still small, they will need to be protected from these storms. Storms of course are likely to arrive throughout the summer too, but larger plants are better able to support themselves. The storms can also leave areas of the ground flooded for a while and if the soil is flooded, it can become waterlogged and almost liquid in texture and in this state it cannot support plant roots. As this only happens at the surface, larger plants, with deeper set roots, will be better able to cope.
So it is important not to rush spring planting. Use your time growing things in pots so that they develop a good root system and will be able to survive in the soil. If you need to know when your last frost date is, call your county Extension Service and they will be able to give you the average date. You can also sow a few cool temperature vegetables, but hold off on the warm weather plants such as basil, tomatoes and peppers, which will be unhappy if the soil temperature and nighttime temperatures are still cool.
The copyright of the article Early Spring Planting in Plants & Bulbs is owned by Kate Copsey. Permission to republish Early Spring Planting in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
