Don't be in too much of hurry to get that garden planted

LANCASTER − Spring is the time to start thinking about getting the garden ready for the warm months ahead.

But Ohio State University Extension office program assistant Connie Smith said not to do anything until the soil warms up. She said to not get fooled by warm days and garden products out in stores. For example, Smith said spinach does not germinate until the soil temperature is 38 degrees.

Therefore, Smith said Mother's Day weekend and the weekend after are good times to plant.

She said crops like lettuce, peas and others don't do well until the soil temperature reaches the mid-40s. Crops like tomatoes and cucumbers need soil temperatures around 55 degrees.

"The best investment you could probably make this time of the year is a soil thermometer," Smith said. "You can buy those at any big-box store, Amazon and eBay even have them."

Smith said to look up the germination temperatures online to find the best time and temperature to plant a particular crop.

She said to avoid mulching in cold temperatures and to only use about 2 inches of mulch. Smith said Memorial Day weekend is a good time to mulch.

Smith said to test the soil before planting anything to make sure things like Ph and fertilizer levels are correct.

"This is always a good time of the year to think about doing some soil testing to know with what you're starting," she said.

Additionally, Smith said to not plant annuals when the soil is too wet and when the soil temperatures are not warm enough.

"You can kill a plant with too much water as easily as you can kill a plant with not enough water," she said. "If you can go out and grab a handful of soil in your hand and squeeze it, if it doesn't trickle through your hand as little droplets of soil, you probably shouldn't be working in it.

"If you squeeze it and there's moisture in the soil you're probably going to do more harm than good getting out there and working in your garden. You want that soil to have some good texture to it so when you plant those transplants, or you plant those seedlings, they become the base of that plant."

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter/X: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Gardening expert says to wait until the soil warms to plant the garden