Spring is really trying to get here! The ground is certainly not workable yet but that doesn't mean you can't start planting tomato and pepper seeds now. It's not too late.
The last official frost date for Zone 4 is May 15th while zone 3 is looking at about May 25th. But this has been a weird cold Spring, while last year was a story too, for the opposite reason!
If you've not started your indoor tomato and pepper seeds yet, now's the time to do it. These warm season veggies, are some of the last to be planted in the garden. For zone 4, typically, you plant near the end of May beginning of June for Zone 3 folks. But it's really all about soil temperature for outdoor planting. Your soil should be 60 to 70 degrees to plant tomatoes and peppers. You can pick up a thermometer for about $5 to $7 at your local nursery.
Now to the nitty gritty of seed starting. Use a sterile seed starting mix, I prefer peat pots for their ease of use and I have a tray for them to sit in, I use a heating mat to keep a nice steady temp of around 70 degrees. Once the seeds sprout, I give my tomato and pepper plants 16 hours of light with a shoplight, there's no need for fancy grow lights in the seed starting stage. Keep the light about 6 inches from the top. I have mine on a pulley system. Also let a fan gently blow across the seedlings for an hour a day, this will give the stems strength.
Think about what type of tomatoes you want! There are romas, slicers, cherries and grape varieties. It depends on what you’ll be using them for. A friend of mine is giving me a few heirloom varities he's started. Wahoo!
Peppers are another matter. Do you want Bell, hot, banana, Italian. Oh, so many to choose from. Whichever you choose, be sure to follow the packet directions. I'm trying Cajun Belle this year. I've heard it's sweet with a touch of heat! Check out my website Garden Bite for more information and send me an email with your comments, suggestions and questions at teri@gardenbite.com
Catch my new garden to table tv show Dig In Minnesota coming April 14th to the CW Twin Cities! Every Sunday morning at 9 o'clock. This show is for the novice gardener to the "old hand" at gardening. It's all about OUR climate!
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