How early can I start planting my garden?

Question

I live in eastern Iowa in plant hardiness zone 5A, and I have been trying to find out how early I can start planting my garden. Everything I have read says "you can plant when you're sure there isn't any more frost in the ground" but that doesn't tell me anything! As warm as our weather has been lately, I have noticed that several of my neighbors have plants that are already coming up, and I've already had to start mowing my lawn, but I just wasn't sure if it was ok to start planting before May! If someone can help I'd appreciate it.

Answer 1

Yeah, normal time to start planting most of your garden vegetables is now. I already have half of my garden planted, most of the rest of it will be planted by the middle of April. If you wait till May, you are waiting too late.

I live here in Indiana, so we should have about the same weather.

My grandpa used to start his garden as early as February. I'm not that much of an early bird, but I did start mine in the middle of March. Part of how early you start is going to be based on what you plant. Stuff like potatoes, onions, and peanuts (tuberous, bulb, and below ground stuff) you want to put out very early. They can take the cold and take a good while to mature.

Most of your plants can normally get planted by mid-April, such as tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, peppers, etc.

Sweet potatoes and tomatoes and stuff you can start indoors around February or March so when time to put them outdoors comes you are well and ready to get a nice good fast start.

The hardest thing I've found is being able to get into the garden when it is dry. You'll only have a few days in the early spring when the ground is dry enough to till.

Tomatoes can be planted outside as early as March, but that is pushing it. You'll need something like a Wall-O-Water to do that and even you may lose them to frost or a cold night.

Answer 2

In growing zone 5, your last frost date would be May 15. Of course, Mother Nature doesn't always pay attention to schedules, so you also have to watch the weather trends. We've had some 70 degree weather already and things are growing, but it's supposed to get cold again this weekend, so it's still too early to be planting. It's still entirely possible to get a snowstorm in your neck of the woods in mid-April, so just be patient. Cool weather veggies such as peas, radishes or lettuce could be planted in a couple of weeks. Warm weather crops like corn, tomatoes and most annual flowers shouldn't be planted until mid-May. They like to have warm feet.

Answer 3

That is true, you have to wait until there is no chance of frost. If you have a garage or enough room inside, you can start your seeds at 40 degrees or above and then plant those when it is wram.

Answer 4

Tomato is a good plant to start from seed, but it has to be done inside and then transplanted after the last frost. Peppers and squash are also good.

Answer 5

you can start your seeds in peat pots indoors now when they get up big enough to put in the ground ,the fear of frost will be over.