REGIONAL—Just a few weeks ago, everybody had the itch and green thumbs were throbbing. There were consecutive days of temperatures soaring to 90 degrees the second week of April following the winter that seemed as if it would never end.
The National Weather Service reported a high of 84 degrees on April 11 in Sioux Center, followed by highs of 90 and 89 over the next two days.
By April 15, the bottom fell out, with the high temperature reaching only 39 degrees. But it was too late for anybody tricked into thinking planting time was here, as there were nine days remaining in the month that would have lows below freezing.
“People had been waiting all winter, and they got the jitters,” said Chad Visser of Midwest Garden Center in Sheldon. “It was 90 degrees for three days, but it was just too early.”
“They get flowers early, and it becomes a question of how to keep them once you get them, because it’s too cold.”
For the past three years, those who planted early did not pay a price, but Visser said historical conditions do not allow for planting in April.
He said enthusiastic gardeners put plants in the ground early and think covering them will be sufficient protection, but that’s not necessarily the case.
“It all depends on temperature,” Visser said. “Covering plants works to a point, but if the temperature drops much below freezing, it won’t help.”
Visser is co-owner of Midwest Garden Center along with his wife, Vonda. This year marks 28 years for the family business specializing in annual plants, which happen to be particularly vulnerable to frost.
“Last year, people were busting the door down by April 20,” he said.
“For those who enjoy gardening, the warmer weather has many itching to get their hands dirty with garden work,” said Katherine Stewart, Master Gardener Program coordinator for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in O’Brien County.
Although many people started plants inside weeks ago and are eager to get them outside and growing in the gardens, Stewart said they need to be mindful that temperatures are still dropping with nightfall.
When determining whether to begin planting outside, it is recommended to look at the last expected frost date for the year, which is May 9. ISU Extension data shows May 14 is the last 32-degree freeze in 90 percent of years for the area.
Stewart said that is a good benchmark for when plants have the greatest likelihood for success in terms of a planting date.
For folks who want to start early, Stewart points to cool-season vegetables such as spinach, beets, or collards as those are proven to thrive in colder temperatures and can even handle temperatures as low as 6 degrees below freezing.
The itching and throbbing have begun once more, thanks to those prognosticators called meteorologists. The National Weather Service predicts lows in the 50s over the next 10 days in N’West Iowa.
So, should you go ahead and start planting? The answer probably depends on your faith in the forecast.
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