Planning for a Vegetable Garden? Don’t Start Transplants Too Early (2024)
SPRING ...
Start planning for indoor plantings if you want to prepare transplants for your vegetable garden this year
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“One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is starting their transplants too early," stated Steve Reiners,professor of horticulture at Cornell University. (Photo by Amber on Unsplash)
ITHACA, N.Y. — With mild weather swings across New York, you may be looking at your garden and planning ahead for the spring and summer. But with colder temperatures and frosts still possible through much of May, indoor plantings can be a good way to give your garden a head start.
Steve Reiners,professor of horticulture at Cornell University,says now is the time to start planning for indoor plantings if you want to prepare transplants for your vegetable garden this year.
Reiners says:
“One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make is starting their transplants too early. The table below provides some guidance on when you should start your transplants. It assumes a last frost date of May 20.
Table 1. When to start vegetables indoors and optimum temperatures for growth
“There are other important factors when it comes to transplants – lighting, temperature, soil, and containers. The most important is light. Even a sunny window facing south will not provide enough light both in quantity and quality to raise healthy transplants. You can create a light box with fluorescent lights suspended about 4 inches above the plants.
“Most seeds don’t require light to germinate so you can put your containers in a warm, dark place after seeding them. Then move them under the lights and dial back the heat once the seeds sprout. You can buy electric heating mats that will warm your containers, soil and seeds from the bottom.
“For the soil, it’s best to use a good quality, already prepared sterile media that can be purchased at any garden center. These are typically prepared with peat moss and other materials such as perlite, lime, and a little fertilizer. Don’t use soil from your garden as it may contain some plant diseases and won’t drain well, making your seeds vulnerable to rotting in soggy soil.
“You have lots of choices for containers. I prefer to use plastic cell packs as they can be washed and reused for many years. But you can use paper or Styrofoam cups, egg cartons, and pots made of peat moss or composted manures. Whatever you use, make sure they have holes in the bottom so excess water can drain out.”
–Cornell University
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Don't seed transplants too early. Overgrown transplants are difficult to manage. If they get so root-bound and shaded by other plants in the same flat that growth stops, it will take them longer to resume growth in the field. They may become weakened and more susceptible to disease in the transplant tray and field.
Planting too early in cooler temperatures can cause stunted growth, wilting, surface pitting, foliage necrosis and increased susceptibility to disease. Low soil temperatures can stunt plant growth and prevent root development. Most summer vegetables like soil temperatures of between 55 and 65 degrees.
Generally March and April, when the soil begins to warm, are the best months to begin sowing many hardy annual vegetable seeds outdoors including broccoli, cabbage, chard, carrots, peas and parsnips.
You can absolutely continue to garden after your first frost date in the fall or winter and then begin to plant before your last frost date in the late winter or spring. The only thing your first frost date tells you is when your warm season ends and your cool season begins.
Spring breezed by and suddenly it's summer. If you didn't find time to plant a garden this spring, don't fret. It's not too late to plant a vegetable garden. Gardeners can plant vegetables in July and August for a fall harvest.
However, if you really need to get it done now, you won't hurt the plants as long as you take care of the root system. You may not get as many blooms if you do the opposite but at least you get the job done and they will eventually recover and provide great color.
Sow too early, and the plants may be ready to leave the pot before it's warm enough. Sow seeds too late, and they won't have enough time to reach maturity. We'll provide some tips as well as a chart on how many weeks to sow indoors before last spring frost.
In late February to early March, start cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, endive, escarole, fennel, lettuce, and artichokes indoors. In mid- to late March, direct sow peas, spinach, fava beans, and arugula outdoors. Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, Swiss chard, and tomatillos indoors.
Timing for all planting is based on first and last frost dates. For example, if planting in hardiness zone 5, the last frost date is generally between April 1st – April 15th, and the first frost date typically falls between October 16th – October 31st. These dates will in part dictate when the best time to plant is.
Mid-March to mid-April—early spring–for planting early, hardy crops. May 1 to June 1—late spring– for planting tender crops. Late June to late July—mid-summer–for planting succession crops warm weather crops and cool-season crops for fall and winter harvest.
The Garden: The First Year, Plants Sleep, Second Year, They Creep & Third Year, They Leap! A popular adage in the gardening world but I think it is a worthwhile reminder for all homeowners. The first year after planting means that the plant may appear to be sleeping but really it is the roots that matter!
Generally speaking, April and May are the best time to start a vegetable garden. But if you've missed that deadline, there are several ways to extend your planting window. Here are some options to consider depending on where you live, what you're planting, and what kind of work you want to do.
May is not too late to plant as many different varieties as possible! They come small, big, hot, mild, and an array of different colors. Summer Squash (Zones 3-10): Sow summer squash now in May so that you will fresh and tasty squash and zucchini for July!
In late February to early March, start cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, endive, escarole, fennel, lettuce, and artichokes indoors. In mid- to late March, direct sow peas, spinach, fava beans, and arugula outdoors. Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, Swiss chard, and tomatillos indoors.
“One of the most underutilized tools in gardening is the soil thermometer,” Olsen said. “Plant your cool-weather crops when the soil warms to 35 or 40 degrees. Go with your warm-weather crops when it gets up to 55 or 60 degrees.”
This will lead to them becoming etoilated. A fancy term for being pale, drawn out and generally pretty weak. So, avoid the temptation to both plant your seeds too early, and plant your young plants out where they will be prone to frost damage.
In some warmer locations, you can begin sowing your vegetable seeds outdoors. For cooler areas, February is a great time to sow your tomatoes and peppers. You should start drawing out your garden for all the vegetables you want to grow.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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