End of Tax Season = Open Season for Planting your Garden!

Here in the northern part of Georgia, we are very lucky to have a lengthy growing season. Some crops you can seed into your garden in late January, others can be planted as late as September!  But for the bulk of vegetables that we commonly desire to grow ourselves, April 15 marks the free-for-all for getting it into the ground.  This is based on a very important calculation: the estimated Last Frost Date for your area.  Frost can kill tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and the like - and so if you're planting such summer crops prior to the LFD, you'll want to watch the weather report and have some type of plan for caring for your seedlings should you get caught by a late cold snap. 

The LFD for your area can vary based on who you talk to, but in general, your local extension service can tell you the most "official" date.  There will be a general LFD that is generally accepted for your locale that doesn't change from year to year, but there are also really smart people out there who calculate the specific date annually.  The Farmer's Almanac has a great chart (www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates) where you can enter your zip code and it will not only give you an LFD, but will calibrate a planting calendar with specific dates of when to plant what - even down to planting according to moon phases!  Following that schedule will surely make you feel like you know what you are doing. 

Right where I live, it's been a little debatable whether our LFD is April 1 or more like April 15.  The Farmer's Almanac just told me that there is a 50% chance that we will be frost-free after March 30.  But just a 50% chance.  So if you live near me and you want to plant and move forward having no regrets, April 15 is just fine - and it's a sunny Saturday with a sunny Sunday to follow - so if you haven't already, get out to a garden center and buy some seeds and/or plants! 

Don't buy too many though - keep in mind the area that you have available to plant, and remember that that little tomato seedling in a 9-pack will really need about 18" -24" square to grow to it's full potential.  Start small, and no hurry - I'll follow this post up with why you can still take your time planting.