Know When it’s Time

One of the very best things you can do to set your garden up for success is to set your plants outside at the right time. Ideal growing temperatures vary from plant to plant. Set out too early in the spring or too late in the fall and you risk exposing your plants to temperatures too cool for them to handle. Too late in the spring or early in the late summer and plants that do their best growing in cooler temperatures may fail to really shine.

It doesn’t have to be a guessing game though. Plant “timelines” are often expressed in relation to the last light frost date in the spring and / or the first light frost date in the fall. For example, it is often suggested that tomatoes are planted out in the garden 1 - 2 weeks after the last spring frost while cool loving peas can be direct sown outdoors as early as 8 weeks prior to this date.

So how do you know? Historical data helps to predict when these dates will be based on your zip code. Farmer’s Almanac, a great resource for many things, has an easy to use calculator. Simply enter in your zip code to see when your predicted frost dates are. It will also let you know how long your growing season is and give you a little more to learn about types of frost.

Give it a try and start using frost dates to set your garden up for success!