 When is it safe to plant vegetables outdoors? |
From now until the end of the month, it's prime time for planting most vegetables on Long Island. Conventional wisdom says it's safe to start planting on May 15, when the danger of frost is considered past. But personal experience has taught me to wait it out until Memorial Day. It can still get pretty chilly overnight.
Ditto for annuals. I once did in an entire flat of impatiens planted the day before Mother's Day. A couple of frosty nights and it was all over. I work too hard for my money, so I've learned to be patient.
Here are some tips to consider before you get those veggies in the ground:
• Select a location that gets at least six hours of full sunlight daily.
• Test your soil. The ideal pH range for most vegetables is 6.2 to 6.8.
• Look for varieties labeled as resistant to powdery mildew, rust and diseases.
• Incorporate lime if indicated by your pH test, slow-release fertilizer (5-10-5 or 10-10-10) and a lot of compost to the top 6 to 8 inches of soil. Work it in well.
• To protect against shock, choose a cloudy day to transplant outdoors. Place plants exactly as deep as they were in their original pots. Only tomatoes can be planted deeper, as they'll actually send out roots from underground stems. If planting in pots, tall containers are preferable to shallow ones.
• Plant in rows to allow access to all plants without compacting soil around roots.
• If support will be necessary, insert stakes into the ground when planting. Stakes installed after plants have become established might damage plant roots.
• Apply mulch to keep the soil warm, inhibit weeds and retain water.
• In the morning throughout the season, water deeply, allowing it to penetrate 5 to 6 inches into the ground. It's much better to water thoroughly less often than to water insufficiently more often.
