Will it be too hot to plant vegetable starts this weekend? - Ask Extension
The raised beds are prepped and we were just about ready to put in our vegetable garden. With this week's surprise temperature swing, with highs in th...
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Will it be too hot to plant vegetable starts this weekend? #867706
Asked May 09, 2024, 11:01 AM EDT
The raised beds are prepped and we were just about ready to put in our vegetable garden. With this week's surprise temperature swing, with highs in the 80s all of a sudden, will it be too hot now to plant tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini and a variety of herbs?
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
It is indeed suddenly hot! We just talked about planting in the heat (informally) at a master gardener gathering. Opinions varied, and I have not found a scientific Extension Service publication giving exact temperatures for types of plants.
This means use your best judgement as the gardener. Can you provide shade after planting? For example a patio umbrella or deck chair? Is your garden sheltered from the strongest sunlight? Have the plants already been outside, “hardened off” to temperature swings both cold and warm? Are they little seedlings with minimal roots or already established in fairly large pots?
One gardener said she will put her seedlings outside this weekend for only a little while and wait to transplant them when the weather moderates. Her reasoning is that the plants will grow best when the soil has warmed up, so planting into the soil this weekend would risk cold-stunting the roots and sunburning the tops. Another has a frame she can set up using some floating row cover as temporary shade, so she is planting tomorrow.
I wish you and your garden all the best.
This means use your best judgement as the gardener. Can you provide shade after planting? For example a patio umbrella or deck chair? Is your garden sheltered from the strongest sunlight? Have the plants already been outside, “hardened off” to temperature swings both cold and warm? Are they little seedlings with minimal roots or already established in fairly large pots?
One gardener said she will put her seedlings outside this weekend for only a little while and wait to transplant them when the weather moderates. Her reasoning is that the plants will grow best when the soil has warmed up, so planting into the soil this weekend would risk cold-stunting the roots and sunburning the tops. Another has a frame she can set up using some floating row cover as temporary shade, so she is planting tomorrow.
I wish you and your garden all the best.
