Starting to garden

By Rennie Phillips

Well, we are into February, and the weather has been unusually mild. The temperatures have been in the range of 50 to 70 degrees during the daytime and around freezing at night, which is really warm for this time of the year.

With the nice weather, many will be getting the gardening itch, although it might be a bit early.

In Scott City, the average last frost is sometime around April 15. The frost-free date for our area is the middle of May. If one watches the weather, we can begin planting frost-prone veggies around April 1. Our local TV station gives a 10-day forecast so we can look at the upcoming weather. I usually figure after April 15, if the weather is looking warm. You can Google the average last frost in the area you live.

Several years ago I planted a number of tomatoes and peppers in one of my high tunnels. I had something like 75 tomatoes and 50 peppers planted.

The temperature got down to the mid-20s, and it froze almost all the tomatoes and peppers. A few of them were still alive, but not enough with which to bother.

It just so happened I had a bunch of extras to go ahead and replant.

Many of the cold crops can be planted four to six weeks before the expected last frost date.

So cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, lettuce, onions and other cold crops can be planted from about March 1 to 15. I'd check the forecast, and if it sounds like freezing temperatures, then I'd wait. I definitely wouldn't plant tomatoes or peppers. Both of these like hot temperatures.

Swiss chard is one of my favorites. If you are going to plant seeds directly in the garden, one could do this around April 1. The same with collards. Beets are another crop you can plant early. I like to start Swiss chard and collards in my shop and then transplant them into the garden. I plant beets directly in the garden. My goal is to have them ready to transplant around April 1 or two weeks before the last frost.

The past several days I've been starting my transplants in my shop. I've been planting peppers, collards, Swiss chard, rhubarb, cabbage, kohlrabi and kale. These are a little slow in maturing, so they should be ready by the end of March. I usually plant two or three seeds in each little container. I try to get the planting medium damp, but not wet.

I have a number of tomato plants that are up and growing. I have a good number of Stupice tomato plants, and my goal is to plant them in my outside garden in the middle of March. I will be planting most of these Stupice tomato plants in a Wall O' Water Season Extender. These really work. The claim is that one can plant tomatoes up to six weeks before the last expected frost and still be safe from frost or freezing. Since I have high tunnels, I have a number of Big Beef that I'll be planting in them beginning April 1, if the weather forecast looks good. They should be safe.

Probably the end of the week I'll be starting tomato plants with my expected plant date of April 15. These tomatoes will go in our outside garden. Some of these will be Celebrity, which is a determinate. I will also be starting some Pearl Plumb, which is an indeterminate paste tomato. Also some heirlooms like Mr. Stripey, Kellogg's, Dr. Wyche and several more. By planting the seed right now, this will give these tomatoes about 8 or 9 weeks to get ready to transplant, which should be about right.

If you have had your garden tested, you can amend the soil as needed. If you haven't, then a little guesswork is in order. I usually scatter a little lime on my gardens along with some 12-12-12 or 13-13-13. The lime will take some time to dissolve and work, so it may be mid-summer before it is effective. Don't get carried away. Directions are usually on the bag as to how much is needed. I scatter mine by hand.

If you have had problems with blossom-end rot, I'd check out some of the products that are specifically for this disease. There are literally hundreds of products, and most garden shops like Sunny Hill Gardens or Whitaker Ace Hardware will have a product they will recommend. I order a two-part fertilizer pack from Morgan County that is specifically for tomatoes. It is called a Tomato Fertilizer Pack. The key is to treat before you have the problem. Once you begin getting tomatoes that show signs of blossom-end rot, it's almost too late.

Some crops that you can sow directly in your garden are peas, lettuce, chard, collards, kale, Kohlrabi and so on. These can be sown beginning mid-March. The peas and lettuce can be planted now. If you are going to plant garlic this spring, you can plant it whenever the ground can be worked. Once planted, mulch it good with straw. I wouldn't mulch it with something that tends to pack down.

If you have questions, drop me an email. If I don't know, I'll find someone who does know.