Horticulture News

DATE: April 14, 2008

HARDIN COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
201 Peterson Drive
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701-9370

BY: Amy Aldenderfer
County Extension Agent for Horticulture

Some Cool Season Plants Can Be Planted Now

The early part of Kentucky springs can be a very frustrating time for gardeners.  It is not unusual to see daytime temperatures that mimic summertime conditions, but are followed by evenings containing hard frosts. 

April is not tomato or squash season in any part of Kentucky.

Unfortunately, some warm season transplants are already available at larger retail outlets and rarely will you see a warning sign advising you to wait for the right growing conditions. Unless these warm season vegetables and flowers are placed in greenhouses or protected at night under special coverings they will probably end up stunted or dead from an unexpected cold snap. 

And you don't need a hard frost to kill some warm season crops like cucumbers, cantaloupes, and watermelon.  They often can't survive temperatures that sink into the low forties.

Kentucky has three primary growing zones.  Warm season flowers and vegetables should not be planted in the state until after April 25 in the central Kentucky. 

For vegetable gardens, early spring planting should be focused on  peas, radishes, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage,  onions,  spinach, kale, collards and mustard.  These are hardy plants and actually thrive under cool conditions.   

Flowers lovers should be planting varieties such as pansies and snap dragons and ornamental cabbage and kale. These plants will withstand temperatures below 20 degrees.

Pansies can be planted in early spring, but they overwinter well and many gardeners plant them in the fall to get the earliest and biggest flowers.
Other cool season flowers such as carnations, dianthus and pot marigolds are also available at garden stores in the spring.  These plants are often sold as summer flowers, but they perform better in the spring.
    
All these plants should be grown where they can receive at least 6 hours of full sun each day.  But, they require cool night temperatures for best growth and color display. 

Cool season flowers need to be planted before May 1.  These flowers can be replaced by warm season flowers in early July and planted again around September 1 for a fall flower garden.

For more information, please ask your local Cooperative Extension Office for “Cool Season Flowers for the Fall and Spring” HO-46 or “Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky” ID-128.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, gender, religion, disability, or national origin.