Spring is here in Northeast Ohio. Our thermometer hit 70 degrees yesterday! The bees are buzzing. The birds are nesting. The grass is green and growing. Daffodils and lilies are blooming… And, if you’re like us, you’re just itching to plant your garden…

Whoa, hold on there. Have you checked the long term forecast for temperatures?

Next week will see most nights in the high 30s! That’s fine for lettuce, onions and other cold-loving crops. But it’s not good for your young tomato and pepper plants. We encourage you to wait until after Mother’s Day and still check the long-term temperature forecast. According to the USDA, tomatoes should not be planted outdoors until the average overnight temperature is around 50 degrees.

It got too cold for our Indigo Apple tomatoes a couple of nights ago — even with the protection of our hoop house. Check out the before and after pictures. Most will recover, but we didn’t gain any time by planting them early. In fact, they will be stunted for another week or two.