BarredBuff

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So, my garden has come together very nicely this week. It has dried out enough to work the ground and prepare it for the Spring. Simultaneously, they are giving excellent weather for the next week. I'd like to take this time, and plant my potatoes, green onions, peas, broccoli, and cabbage.

My main concern is my potatoes. Our average last frost date is April 15 to May 1. This would be roughly a month before the earliest date. However, the weather looks great for this week and I may not have the opportunity to do it later. (I'm paranoid about the weather since it has rained for months) Plus, in years past, I have found that I normally get them out too late because it warms up quickly here.

What are your thoughts?
 

frustratedearthmother

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I say go for it....maybe plant half if you're worried about not having enough seed potatoes - that way if it does get too cold you still have some seed potatoes to plant later? Couldn't you mulch 'em real heavy if it looks like it's gonna get too cold?
 

Lazy Gardener

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Go for it. However, potato foliage is extremely frost sensitive. As long as the spuds are not sprouted above the soil, no worries about a frost. If you have a small enough potato patch, you could keep a blanket handy, and cover them at night when you have frost predictions. Alternately, you could keep a few hay bales handy and simply mulch them heavily if you get cold weather.

I don't hill my potatoes. Instead, I mulch heavily with hay and grass clippings. So, for me, tossing on extra mulch would be the preferred way to protect them in the event of frost.

What is your planting zone?
 

BarredBuff

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We are Zone 6b.

I've plenty of straw on hand that I have been stockpiling for months anyway if I needed to mulch. I've also got rolls of plastic laid back too.

My struggle is that it'll be super hot the first of May (typically). So, really its now or they'll be hot.
 

Marianne

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Go for it.
I'm zone 5 and we usually plant spuds and onions on March 15th. I agree w/ lazy gardener, but I always did a heavy mulch with straw. The first year here I grew spuds in straw, they were great.

I lied, we're zone 6. Maybe I just wish I was in zone 5?
 

Beekissed

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BB, I'm close to your zone and I'm planting mine next week. I've had good success in planting early and also late as spuds don't seem to be one of the veggies affected by the heat that much. Our last frost date is May 15.
 

BarredBuff

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That pretty well settles it. Monday evening, Lord willing, we'll have 'taters to plant.
 

CrealCritter

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We are Zone 6b.

I've plenty of straw on hand that I have been stockpiling for months anyway if I needed to mulch. I've also got rolls of plastic laid back too.

My struggle is that it'll be super hot the first of May (typically). So, really its now or they'll be hot.

You are the same zone as me 6B, but I think I'm more in zone 7 most of the time. Spots in both my gardens are still to wet to sow in.

Here's what old Clyde has to say about our zone. He says, plant potatoes around the end of March. I most always plant a week or two early and rarely run into problems due to a hard freeze. My "rule of thumb" I don't set out any hardy transplants until the last 25 degrees overnight temperature has passed, 20 degrees for onions.
IMG_20190317_174048.jpg
 
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BarredBuff

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CrealCritter-- That's a pretty handy gadget!

Soil wise---- I've got some pretty hard clods in my tater patch, but other than that it is velvety smooth. I cut my seed taters this afternoon, and plan on putting them in the ground tomorrow.
 
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