Planting early this year?

[Everton]

Hi all. New to the forum. I'm a newish backyard gardener whose seed starts are now busting at the seams. I live in central Ky (6b), and the nights are up to low 40's now. I'm wondering if I could plant my seedlings at this point? I've got a load of tomatoes that have already been split and up-potted, and the peppers aren't far behind. Since I'm up-potting, I'm running out of room under my grow lights. The plants have all been hardened over the past couple weeks with time outside.

Most everything else I'm direct sowing. Greens, Peas, and a few other things are already in. I've got roughly 40 tomato plants, 10 I'm keeping, rest going to friends. same for the peppers. I don't want to hand those out if my friends can't leave them outside at this point. I guess anything worth doing is worth overdoing?

 

[Meadowlark]

The last frost date is an important one for gardeners to know in their area. See https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/KY

In my experience, it is not a good decision to try to beat these dates. You may avoid the frost but the night time temps can set your plants back significantly to the point where many never fully recover. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

 

[Chuck]

IMO it is too early for you to set out tomato or pepper transplants simply because your soil temperature is still too low. The optimum temperature is about 70F with the minimum about 55F. The reason for this is that low soil temperature inhibits or stops root growth and when this happens your plants just sit there not growing much at all. When you plant tomatoes you want a steady growth rate. Take the soil temperature at about 4 inches deep.

 

[Everton]

I suppose I expected as much. I figure I can just haul the flats inside at night, and back out in the morning for a couple weeks. This'll teach me not to grow so many seedlings...

Thank you.

 

[skinyea]

Hi all. New to the forum. I'm a newish backyard gardener whose seed starts are now busting at the seams. I live in central Ky (6b), and the nights are up to low 40's now. I'm wondering if I could plant my seedlings at this point? I've got a load of tomatoes that have already been split and up-potted, and the peppers aren't far behind. Since I'm up-potting, I'm running out of room under my grow lights. The plants have all been hardened over the past couple weeks with time outside.

Most everything else I'm direct sowing. Greens, Peas, and a few other things are already in. I've got roughly 40 tomato plants, 10 I'm keeping, rest going to friends. same for the peppers. I don't want to hand those out if my friends can't leave them outside at this point. I guess anything worth doing is worth overdoing?

Hey welcome!

I am 6b also. If you put tomato's or peppers out this early, they might live but probs not. if they do live they will not produce well. your best bet is to repot and sit near any window that gets morning/afternoon sun.

 

[karstopography]

Aren’t these questions about risk versus reward? Here where I am on the edge of 9 a/b there’s the small risk of planting too early and getting nipped by a late frost, but even more risk of going in too late and losing productive time with vegetables that don’t like the blazing summer heat we get. Ground never gets all that cold here. Seems like here along the gulf coast, we have cool season, Later October through March vegetables, all the cabbage family, root and leafy greens, Spring into early summer types, the nightshades, legumes and cucurbits, and then the ones like okra and cowpeas that can thrive or at least hang in there during the heat of summer.

 

[Chuck]

Aren’t these questions about risk versus reward? Here where I am on the edge of 9 a/b there’s the small risk of planting too early and getting nipped by a late frost, but even more risk of going in too late and losing productive time with vegetables that don’t like the blazing summer heat we get. Ground never gets all that cold here. Seems like here along the gulf coast, we have cool season, Later October through March vegetables, all the cabbage family, root and leafy greens, Spring into early summer types, the nightshades, legumes and cucurbits, and then the ones like okra and cowpeas that can thrive or at least hang in there during the heat of summer.

I agree 100% but then we don't live where the nights are still in the low 40's. Would you plant your tomatoes and peppers late December early January? Even our soil is still too cool to plant tomatoes and peppers in January even if we didn't get another frost.

 

[karstopography]

Looks like a good week to have tomato plants in full flower...

 

[Chuck]

Some of mine are blooming so hoping for the best. My temps are slightly lower than yours but my soil temps are spot on. Lets just hope we have a cool spring.

 

[Everton]

Looking out to the end of the month, highs of 55-75 and lows around 50. How cold is too cold to let my flats of plants stay out at night? Right now, I am hauling 6 large flats in and out of the house everyday, and would like to stop having to do that asap.

 

[Chuck]

Looking out to the end of the month, highs of 55-75 and lows around 50. How cold is too cold to let my flats of plants stay out at night? Right now, I am hauling 6 large flats in and out of the house everyday, and would like to stop having to do that asap.

IMO 50F is the absolute minimum. 45F can stop growth in some vegetables.

 

[Everton]

I figure I'd use this thread to post updates.

Here are some pics of the backyard covid garden.

I have 5 4x4 raised beds, and down the hill I tilled a 35x10 area and split it out to six 4x10 hilled beds. Added fertilzers/amendments to base soil, a layer of grass bedding, and compost on top. I'm trying to keep building these beds and use the walkways for drainage. This area gets limited sunlight in the summer, so I'm being selective on what I want to grow there, with all the tomatoes, peppers in the raised beds as well as anything for salad greens. I'm hoping 4-5 hours of direct sunlight will be enough for some beets, carrots, shard, kale, potato. I probably have 6 or so hours in two of the beds, and going to see if thats enough for onion, and a couple squash. I plan on connecting all the tomato trellis poles other at the top, and just use small cages with tobacco sticks for the peppers.