• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Monthly Checklist
  • Container Garden Design
  • Garden Coaching
  • Five ★★★★★ Speaker’s Topics
  • Portfolio

Hoosier Gardener

An informed, yet personal take on natural gardening in Indiana and other dirty topics.

An informed, yet personal take on natural gardening in Indiana and other dirty topics.
  • Home
  • Services
    • Container Garden Design
    • Garden Coaching
    • Writing & Editing
    • Virtual and In-person Talks
  • Indiana Gardening Resources
    • Monthly Gardening Checklist
    • Hoosier Gardener Blog
    • HortusScope
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop

April 20, 2019 By Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

Rushing spring may be hazardous to warm-season annuals

Don’t plant tomato transplants until the middle of May. Plant peppers a few weeks later. (C) Photo lapis2380/123rf.com

Garden center employees have thoughts about the customers who show up on the first warm days of spring.

These are the folks who want to buy tomato, pepper and geranium plants and want to know why there isn’t any basil. Garden centers love them, because they are as excited about spring as the customers are. But excited customers can be hard to convince that it’s too early to plant those plants.

What garden center staffers say to themselves is “sure, you can buy that plant and in a couple of weeks, we’ll sell you another one because the one you buy today will have been killed by a frost or freeze.”

One garden center I know used to post signs amid the tomato plants this time of year, telling customers that it wasn’t warm enough to plant them. It’s not just the ambient temperature, it’s also the temperature of the soil. Mother’s Day is the traditional go-ahead-and-plant day in central Indiana.

If the soil has not warmed up, heat-loving tomatoes and peppers sit there with cold roots. This can set them back. In fact, it’s better to plant peppers a couple of weeks later, so the soil is even warmer, something they will appreciate.

Why are they there?

So, customers ask, why do you have these plants in April if we can’t plant them until May? Because people what them.

Some gardeners say they buy the plants early with plans to stow them in the garage, on the porch or in the house, moving them out during the day and in at night. You can do that, but it seems like a lot of work, especially since that Big Boy tomato or red geranium, will still be available well into May. Buy the tomato then and you can plant it right away, which is always better than trying to hold it for weeks. Let the garden centers baby the plants, not you.

Plants ready for the season

Of course, there are lots of plants you can plant now. Almost any perennial, tree or shrub you find at a garden center can be planted, as long as you can work the soil. Working wet soil destroys its structure, which affects plant health.

In fact in April and May, garden centers are loaded with great selection of perennials in quart-size pots. Quarts are smart buys because the plants will bloom this year, just like the same ones sold in a gallon-size pot for twice the price. And quart-size pots are a fairly inexpensive way to try a new perennial in your garden.

By this time of year, pansies and violas may still be available, but not always. Garden centers will have other spring annuals, such as snapdragons and dianthus, always good choices to satisfy the planting itch.

I think the notion that gardening teaches us patience speaks to this time of year. Sometimes we just have to wait.

Filed Under: Hoosier Gardener

Primary Sidebar

Get the Hoosier Gardener Newsletter

Follow Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

AAS names colocasia a winner

All-America Selections has named for the first time a colocasia the 2023 AAS ...

[Read More...]

Steve Mayer is now a Master Gardener

About a month ago, I visited with Steve Mayer in the Purdue Marion County ...

[Read More...]

November garden checklist

Pot up hycinths, tulips, daffodls and other spring bulbs for indoors enjoyment

Indoors Houseplant growth will slow so apply less fertilizer and water. ...

[Read More...]

Raking, mowing fall leaves

Leaves that fall this time of year are either a blessing or a curse, depending ...

[Read More...]

Footer

Quick Links

Shop
Speaking
Container Garden Design
Monthly Gardening Checklist
Contact

Get the Hoosier Gardener Newsletter

Contact

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
The Hoosier Gardener
thehoosiergardener@gmail.com

Copyright © 2023 · Hoosier Gardener - All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service ·Sitemap

Affiliate disclosure: Amazon links are affiliate links and Jo Ellen will receive a small commission from items purchased via the links.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT