THE OLD FOLK SAY.....

[mensplace]

You DON'T plant before Good Friday!

In far too many years I have made offerings to the tomato gods after being fooled by an extended period of warmth, by planting out early. Not this year.

Despite the forecasts, I looked outside this morning and, sure enough, frost everywhere. Glad I brought everything back in last night,

Now I wish I could remember all the other old sayings!

[Father'sDaughter]

Glad you saved them!

Up here the old timers say, "Never plant out tomatoes before Memorial Day."

I've found it to be good advice.

[Urbanheirlooms]

My area is around May 5. I have always planted about a dozen plants in mid April and if there is any chance of a frost, I cover them. I plant out the rest in early May. I usually get some ripe tomatoes in late June.

[carolyn137]

I'm an Old Folk, as you put it Clarence,and I'm trying hard to post less here at Tville all the time until maybe it gets to the point that just for old time memories I'll go back to January of 2006 when Mischka opened Tville, and read forward to see who is still here,who has died,who got banned, etc.

And the above b/c the general atmosphere here now is quite different from what it used to be, not just my opinion since some long timers here have said the same and that includes those who used to post here regularly who are still very much alive and have chosen not to post here.

Back on topic.

I no longer can raise my own seedlings so I give seeds to a local person who does that for me,then he brings the flats of them here to my home where someone else plants them and cares for them, if she remembers to do so in spite of my asking her to do so.. And the deal is that I also give him seeds for his own purposes, and while I'm technically in a zone 5a here,as he is, it makes no sense at all to put out seedlings, already hardened off, too early,since they sit there and sulk.

Better IMO to just wait until the soil,or however someone grows their tomatoes,since it's known where I live that freezing rain and hail and snow can still appear up to mid June. So most in this area are sowing seed much later than they used to do so.

Carolyn

[marc_groleau]

Memorial day is the weekend for getting the garden planted. On occasion, the weekend before. Never earlier.

[Fred Hempel]

I am a late Bay Area planter. First week of May.

[AlittleSalt]

Now, I can't help but to wonder what the atmosphere was like here in 2006?

Plant out time here for tomato plants can be as early as mid-March (But have materials ready to cover plants). Mid-April has much less chance of frost.

I just thought about that..."Plant out around Tax day" doesn't have a good ring to it.

[Cole_Robbie]

Judging by when my plants sell, the correct day to plant out is the first day that it is 80 degrees, sunny, and dry enough to run a tiller...whether that day happens in March or in June, it is still the correct day. Or at least it is the correct day to have plants for sale, because customers are going to buy them then no matter what I say.

[ricman]

I always put out a few early ones, no more than I am willing to cover. Its all about bragging rights amongst a group of my friends. Who can get the earliest in the ground ripe tomato. I planted out 24 Early Doll's this year and they are all setting fruit, so we shall see. Mother Nature can be fickle at times.

Rick

[PaulF]

Planting time here is the first nice day after May 5. Average frost is April 25. Average planting date for the past 14 years is May 10.

The atmosphere is much the same only with 100 times more folks adding to the atmosphere. It went from a small family-style group to a full blown family reunion. Many of the same folks are still here, many just don't post as often, some are gone. Many more topics discussed...still a good place to be. I have not been threatened once, not like one other site (no longer in business).

[Worth1]

First I am one of those first members from almost day one.
I have lost friends made new friends and kept friends.
Things change and we have to change with it or we get left behind.

As for what old folks say, some of it is hog wash and some of it is true.
For the most part it is hog wash.
Farming is a gamble and if you dont gamble you lose every time not just some of the time.
This is why still to this day I go by the native trees and plants in my area for planting out, not some silly date.
It has served me well all these years except for just one time.
Worth

[MikeInCypress]

I agree with Worth. Only once have I been burned by following the native trees to determine when to plant out. That was about 5 or 6 years a go when we had a heavy frost mid March. I have planted as early as Valentines Day and asn late as St. Patrick's day depending on when the live oaks leaf out.

Regarding friends - Its like in sales you lose about 20% of your customers for one reason or another each year so you need to get more than 20% new customers each year or you will have no customers.

MikeInCypress

[SueCT]

I am sorry to hear that, Carolyn, since I came here because of you. As I am sure you remember we first became acquainted years ago on Garden Web, before that changed so much and so many people left. I was not here at the beginning to know how it was and am curious as what you would like to see change. More posts on topic and less off topic, more discussion of individual tomatoes and gardening techniques, etc. With all the new people here, and them not familiar with any previous atmosphere, it can go in any direction the moderators and members would like to take it.

Now back on topic for me, as well. Growing up we also were told Memorial Day was the "safe" plant out date for most things like tomatoes. Funny, because very few now seem to know or remember this. The information has not been passed on, and the younger generations seem to have fewer and fewer gardens, especially vegetable gardens. Maybe that is why. I still use that as my general guide, and will sometimes try a week or a little more earlier than that, but only when the long range forcast predicts little chance of frost. Or, a few plants only, that I can spare and have the time to protect if necessary. But good gardening sense is often replaced with competition to get the earliest harvest, and the need for instant gratification. Its HARD waiting for the first fruits of summer.

[FarmerShawn]

It's Memorial Day for plant-out for me here, too. Strange, because the "old folks" also say to start tomatoes on Town Meeting Day, which is always early March, way to early from my experience. I do not always believe the "old folks," even though (or especially because) I am now one of them.

Choosing any plantout day related to Easter, like Good Friday, doesn't make any logical sense to me, since those dates are set by moon phase, and can vary by more than a month depending on the year.

I wonder if Carolyn is referring, at least in part, to an increased contentiousness and almost combativeness, or at least a lack of civility among some posters here. Unfortunately, I see that as an extension of the general atmosphere in the country lately, with folks so deeply divided in opinions and viewpoints, and the increased division fed in part by social media memes and posts. Make no mistake, I still see plenty of kind, thoughtful, generous, and sharing folks and posts here, but I do also see an increased undercurrent of veiled digs and quick-to-be-offended posts as well, which makes it just a bit less fun, at least for me. But that's just me - I cannot nor would not presume to speak for Carolyn.

[pondgardener]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I'm an Old Folk, as you put it Clarence,and I'm trying hard to post less here at Tville all the time until maybe it gets to the point that just for old time memories I'll go back to January of 2006 when Mischka opened Tville, and read forward to see who is still here,who has died,who got banned, etc.

And the above b/c the general atmosphere here now is quite different from what it used to be, not just my opinion since some long timers here have said the same and that includes those who used to post here regularly who are still very much alive and have chosen not to post here.

Back on topic.

I no longer can raise my own seedlings so I give seeds to a local person who does that for me,then he brings the flats of them here to my home where someone else plants them and cares for them, if she remembers to do so in spite of my asking her to do so.. And the deal is that I also give him seeds for his own purposes, and while I'm technically in a zone 5a here,as he is, it makes no sense at all to put out seedlings, already hardened off, too early,since they sit there and sulk.

Better IMO to just wait until the soil,or however someone grows their tomatoes,since it's known where I live that freezing rain and hail and snow can still appear up to mid June. So most in this area are sowing seed much later than they used to do so.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

I was thinking the same the other day, when I started to read posts from 2006, noticing the names of people I haven't seen post here for a very long time. It seemed like there was more information being shared. I felt the same way, looking back at the idigmygarden board. I think more people should go to the last page of various forums and read backward. I have found quite a bit of information by doing so.

George