Vegetable gardening dates in near NE heights

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by NMBeek on April 9, 2008 at 9:47am

This has been sitting here for a while but maybe this can still help, Susan.

Mid-heights that average date of last frost is April 17. Yeah, I know, in the last few weeks you would have laughed at that but I can personally remember snow here one April 19th. Tomatoes should not be put out until NIGHT temps are reliably above 50F. That usually means the first part of May. There are lots and lots of examples where folks put them out earlier and they survive, yep, they just don't grow very well because they don't like cold nights.

You could start cucumber seeds now with no problem. It will be plenty warm enough for them by the time they start to bloom.

Many bulbs of the lilly family won't have pushed leaves above ground yet. In fact, many summer flowering bulbs haven't yet pushed up, amarilas, naked ladies, etc.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan on April 9, 2008 at 10:31am

Thanks Jerry,

Last year I used 4/15 as a "last frost" date and planned everything (like when to start various seeds) relative to that. But it was too early. I did get great tomatos, but the cucumber plants I put out were MINIATURIZED, for the most part. You might think "not enough water", but the 8' tall tomato plants got the same amount of water in the same kind of conditions.

So this year I've been shooting for 5/1. Does your "start cucumber seeds now" suggestion mean indoors or outdoors?

About the bulbs -- is there any time of year when they all have greenery?

Nice weather we've been having, yes? I'd like to see some rain, though -- my water barrels are EMPTY.

Susan

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by NMBeek on April 10, 2008 at 9:13am

You can start cukes outdoors. They like warm weather to grow but will sprout in spring coolness. (Maybe you had dwarf cukes?.. just funnin' :-) 5/1 is safer, for sure. You will almost never get a surprise frost after that date.

As for bulbs, depending on the varities you have there might be a time when they all have leaves, but if you have both spring blooming and summer blooming varieties it isn't likely. Early to mid May is the most likely time when they will all be showing something, except for "naked ladies" and they hide under the ground until they pop up and bloom in mid-summer to early fall. There are actually several bulbs called by that common name, some are false fall crocus and some are a variety of amaryllis.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan on April 10, 2008 at 1:27pm

Are they called naked ladies because they are in the ground to hide their nudity?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by NMBeek on April 11, 2008 at 8:19am

They're called "naked ladies" because they pop up flower stems without any leaves, just the flower stem comes out of the ground, grows upward very quickly, as much as 2-3 inches per day, then the blooms open. the strap-like leaves only come up once the flower stalk has died back. I have some planted in the back yard lawn. One week green grass there, a week later a group of 14" tall flower spikes with big pink lilly-like blooms. Kind of awesome. :-)

▶ Reply to This