2017 Note: This year the first week in May is starting out cool and damp much like last year. Hold off on planting warm weather plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants as well as herbs like basil, summer savory and salad burnet even though we most likely will not have a frost. Evening temperatures are forecast to be in the lower 40’s and, depending on garden location, may dip into the 30’s and daytime temperatures in the mid 60’s. The 2017 Master Gardener Plant Sale is May 20,2017, from 9 am – 1 pm. Come early for the best selections. Bring your wagons and boxes. Publish date: May 12, 2016 It’s been a cool, mostly cloudy spring in Franklin County and this means a later planting date. Home gardeners often plan to transplant seedlings after May 12th, the last estimated frost date for our area. More important than a date on the calendar is soil temperature. This year gardeners need to wait to allow the soil to warm up and the low air temperatures in the foreseeable forecast are consistently in the fifties or warmer. “Soil temperature is a factor which few of us consider important enough to check before planting yet it probably the most important factor affecting … seedling growth,” writes Dr. Jerry Parsons, Texas Extension Horticulturist. Warm soil allows plant roots to grow out into the bed quickly. For the best start to the garden season, plant vegetables when the soil temperatures are best to do so. Plants are sensitive to temperature both above and below ground. If the soil temperature is not right transplants just sit there, biding their time until it warms up. This affects root development and can stunt growth throughout the growing season. Cool temperatures can also invite rot. During the week of May 11 in Fayetteville, Pa., the soil temperature in a sunny, raised bed was only 54° F. Soil temperatures will vary among different areas in a garden and between different yards. Soil in sunny areas and raised beds will warm the quickest. Use a soil thermometer and take the temperature at 2-3” deep around 10 to 11 a.m. Temperatures vary during the day with the lowest soil readings just after dawn and the highest in mid-afternoon. It is best to get a consistent reading over a period of four to five days. The best temperature for transplanting local warm season crops is 60° to 65° F. These include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, pumpkins and squash. Beans can go in at 55° to 60° F. but okra needs 70° F. or more. The plants from the Master Gardener greenhouse will be offered at the Annual Plant Sale held on Saturday, May 21st from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Soil and air temperatures should be best by that time. There are more than 40 varieties of tomatoes and more than 20 peppers plus seven different eggplants offered for sale this year. ~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener Comments are closed.
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AuthorCarol Rhoades Kagan, Chambersburg, PA CategoriesArchives
November 2020
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2023 Franklin County Master Garden Plant Sale | our blog & notes |