Linda wrote:
I'm right on the line of Zones 6-7 (Maryland). Our temps right now are
averaging 60's during the day and 40's at night. We do have a couple of
nights coming up where it will only be in the upper 30's and daytime in
the
lower 50's. Can I still put them out now or wait until this little cold
front passes? I have soooo many people telling me "it's too soon, you'll
kill them". But I remember planting the garden last year the last week in
April. I did have to cover them a few nights when it hit the low 30's
just
in case of frost.

You've got three different temperatures to think about. Daytime air,
nighttime air, and soil. If the soil hasn't warmed-up into the 60-70F range
yet, you're not going to benefit much from putting them into the ground.
Toss in a nighttime air temperature under 40F, and you're in danger of
loosing the plants. At the very least, you're not doing them any good.

Given your area's current conditions, the previous recomondation of setting
them outside in the sun during the day, and bringing them inside at night
sounds more than reasonable.

A black weed barrier or red plastic tomato mulch can help absorb a little
more heat during the day, and hold it in better at night. Those
wall-of-water things will also keep the air around the plant in a more
reasonable range for now. But if you're just thinking of plopping the plants
in the ground, it's still too early.

Also with tomatoes you can strip-off the lower leaves, and burry the plants
deeper. New roots will grow from the burried part of the stem, and if the
soil is warm enough for development, that's where most of your growth will
occur this early in the season. When they do start to grow above ground, the
deeper, larger root area will support the plants better. This is one of the
few plants that you can't plant too deep. But that soil better be warm
enough, or again, you're not doing much good.


I just hate it when people say "you can't plant the garden until after
Mother's Day". Where did that idea come from anyway?

The guideline is different in different areas, but for your area, Mother's
Day is an easy day to remember that the chance of nighttime frost has
reduced to a negligible chance, and the soil temperatures have probably
risen to a hospitable level. Some places they say May 1. Other places they
say Memorial Day. These are generally dates that even the people with the
least green in their thumbs can stumble into success. If you know what
you're doing (pay attention to soil temperatures, and soil make-up, etc.),
and you actively garden (as opposed to just stick things in the ground,
water, and hope for the best), you can probably usually get your garden
going two or three weeks earlier *most* years. But part of knowing what
you're doing is being able to recognize when conditions are not favorable
for early planting.

--
Warren H.

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