Garden Update
Week of May 2, 2022
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County
Not only does frost-free weather initiate the planting of warm season vegetables (like tomatoes), but soil temperatures play a strong role when it comes time to planting both cool season and warm season vegetables. Certainly this spring has been challenging for gardeners waiting to get cool season vegetables planted and now with Mother’s Day just around the corner, chances are good that planting warm season vegetables should be delayed as well. Rather than relying solely on the calendar to determine timing—“I always plant after Mother’s Day”—this year is definitely one that requires greater attention to soil temps and frost forecasts. While seeds and plants of cool season vegetables like radishes and cabbage will survive if planted too soon, warm season vegetables (like beans and peppers) planted too soon will perish when soil temperatures are too cold for them. Check out soil temperatures in your area on this map: https://go.unl.edu/soiltemperature .
Find more information on the Dodge County Hortuculture Web Page.