When To Start The Seeds & Plant The Plants In Central Pa

 

 A Week By Week  Planting Guide for 2022

Here in Central PA, the last spring frost is, on average right around May 1st.  The rule of thumb I grew up with is that Tomatoes and Peppers should never be planted outside before mothers day, but most other plants can be started a little earlier.  

There's a great frost calculator here: https://morningchores.com/frost-dates/ .  Of course this is just a guideline, based on past years, but  for our area, we get the following results:

Based on the above chart, this is when to start seeds, and plant outside, in our area:

February 22-March 6th
8-10 Weeks Before The Last Frost

If you are starting your vegetables from seeds, this week and next are the time to start:
bell peppers, 
celery,
eggplant,

leeks. 

"Most pepper seeds sprout in about a week at a temperature of 70-80 degrees F., but germination can be spotty depending on variety. Hot peppers can be very finicky. To speed the process, place the seeds between damp sheets of paper towel, put them in zippered plastic bag, and put the bag in a warm place (the top of the refrigerator works fine). As soon as the pepper seeds sprout, carefully plant them in individual containers such as pea pots. When the first true leaves develop, move the plants to a sunny southern window until you can transplant them into the garden. Don't set out your pepper transplants until night temperatures average around 55-60 degrees F." -  Read m ore about growing peppers from seed, here https://www.burpee.com/gardenadvicecenter/areas-of-interest/seed-starting/growing-peppers/article10252.html


March 7-March 21
6-8 Weeks before the last frost

Start Seeds Indoors For:

Tomato,

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Lettuce

This is when the majority of the years  seeds are started.  Annual flowers (petunias, inpatients, snapdragon, salvia), Perennials (Blanket Flower, Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower) and vegetables (Tomatoes, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Lettuce & Swiss Chard)

Most annual flower seeds are best planted directly into the ground outdoors in late April through late May.

Plant outside this week -  Radishes, Peas, Spinach

Radish seeds can be planted outdoors, directly in the ground, around now.  
"Radish seeds can be planted in both the spring and the fall, but growing should be suspended in the height of summer, when temperatures are typically too hot. (Hot temperatures may cause radishes to bolt, making them essentially useless.)
Otherwise, radishes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow."
More tips for growing radishes -  https://www.almanac.com/plant/radishes
Wondering why you would grow radishes?  Try them in a creamy cucumber radish salad, or roasted garlic radishes.

We can also plant some of the early spring bulbs around now too!  Crocus, snowdrops, early daffodils, early tulips can all be planted 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost.

March 21 - April 4
Planting Outdoors - Last week was a good time to start planting Rashes, Spinach, Peas, and spring bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops, early daffodils and early tulips, outside.  This week it's time to plant the carrots, Onions, and Turnips outside as well.

Indoors, it's a good time to start seeds for:

Cantaloupes,  
Cucumbers
*Pumpkins
Watermelons

Sweet Potatoes - This is also a good time to start your sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are started from slips, not seeds.  You can purchase a sweet potato at the store to start your plants, but that can make it difficult to tell whether it is a bush, or vine, variety.  Ordering slips online will make it easier to know what you are getting.  Here's a step by step how to grow them - https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/how-to-plant-and-grow-sweet-potatoes

Pumpkins - While it's fine to start your pumpkins now, most of us want our pumpkins for the fall season.  Most will take 75-100 days, from planting the seed to harvesting a pumpkin - so mid may to early June is a typical time to start the plants, and they do really well just by planting the seeds directly in the ground around then.

We have more than 140 acres here on the farm - but most of my garden is grown in two 4 foot by 4 foot garden boxes.  It is amazing how much I can grow in those two boxes, and its very little weeding! The method is called "Square foot gardening" - https://amzn.to/2ut6qku

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