Earliest time to plant on Long Island?

[Elliot]

In the past we were told wait till mothers day but the weather has been warmer. Can we plant our tomatos ealier this year? I am on Long Island, New York

Elliot

[feldon30]

The 40 degrees you hit this morning is a little scary. Have you got extra plants or any way of protecting plants if it gets cold? If so, I'd put out some sacrificial lambs now.

[TZ-OH6]

The recommendation is based on average date of last frost. I would check the ten day forecast leading up to Mother's Day, and if it called for warm weather up to and including Mother's Day I would go for it.

I you were on the coast I would say go for it, but Hicksville is too far inland. {I just moved from Bayville, and worked in Brookville, it was about 5-10F warmer on the coast during cold weather.}

[TomatoDon]

Moveable dates, especially as we saw for Good Friday and Easter this year, are often meaningless. Pick the last annual frost date for your area, get a good ten day forecast, and even then hope for the best.

Don

[Elliot]

where do you garden now?

Elliot

[Elliot]

Originally Posted by feldon30

The 40 degrees you hit this morning is a little scary. Have you got extra plants or any way of protecting plants if it gets cold? If so, I'd put out some sacrificial lambs now.

What is the lowest temp at nigh that a tomato plant can tolerate?

Elliot

LI, New York

[feldon30]

Depends. Have your tomato plants been outside at all overnight? One night of 40 if they have never experienced anything below 50 could set them back.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Elliot

What is the lowest temp at nigh that a tomato plant can tolerate?

Elliot

LI, New York

Freezing is the lowest a tomato plant can tolerate.
If the plant freezes it will die.
If it gets a heavy frost it will die.

Sometimes they just get bit a little and survive.

As far as a tomato getting set back I wont argue the point as it is pointless to argue.

I have many nights that dip close to 32 with no problem but that is my experience and the way I treat my plants.

Thats why I constantly stress the point of letting the plants get cold from the get go and not baby them in a warm house under lights.

If you have your plants in the house and they have sprouted then cut off the heat in that room at night so it will get cold, around 50 or so will do fine.

Sure they will turn purple but thats fine when the weather warms up they will be able to take in the nutrients they need and will just explode with new growth.

I have seen many times here in Texas where people put plants out when there is positively no threat of frost only to have plants with no tomatoes as it then gets too hot to set fruit.

If you haven't, in the future plant more seeds than you need and hold back on about half of them in bigger pots to insure tomato plants if the first ones you set out get killed.

They may not be as big as the original plants you set out but you at least will be way ahead of the game.

Ever hear of the old saying, 'don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I cant think of a better example than tomato growing.

That goes for the kind of tomatoes you grow and the amount of seedlings you start.

In short you have asked a question that cant honestly be answered.

There is no set time to put out plants, you can make a wild guess and the rest is a gamble, thats just the way farming is and it will always be that way.

You have to take the good with the bad and love every minute of it.

Worth

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Elliot

In the past we were told wait till mothers day but the weather has been warmer. Can we plant our tomatos ealier this year? I am on Long Island, New York

Elliot

Hello Long Island,

I am in the same NYC zone, slightly North of you. I started seeds on 2/1 planted in ground on 3/30. My plants have many fruits already. I may have a couple ripe Stupices for Mother's day.

I use a removable greenhouse to beat the weather. Look into some of my other posts, if you are interested in my system.

dcarch

[gssgarden]

I try to get my mother's garden in or around the 15th. Just check the 10 day forcast to see if any frosts are looming. Usually after the 15th, chances are slim. I'm shoooting for next weekend, the 11th, and feel o.k. doing it. Just keep a back-up or two.

Greg

[where_with_all]

elliot

I live in long island too. I have tried to get plants out early- like end of april in the past. it is a lot of work.


First-
Obviously you don't want to have the plants out when there is still a chance of frost. below 40 will ususally set the plants back unless you have hardened them off to be resilient. This is a lot of work and requires moving the plants inside and outside so that you build tolerance.

Second
The most important thing is the soil temperature. I found that plants do better when the soil temperature does not go below 50 F. 55 F is preferable. To get the soil temp that high with out dipping below you usually have to wait until mid may. Soil has a high thermal mass ( low thermal conductivity) and therfore temperature changes are very slow. It could be 80 outside but the soil could still be 45.

If you want to get the plants out earlier you can do soil warming tricks like using a greenhouse, cold frame, or even putting a clear tarp on the ground for a few weeks prior to plant out. All of these devices trap heat during the day and keep the soil warm at night.

I keep a thermometer in my garden. I live in huntington. The temperature has only this week stayed above 50- even though it has been great the past few weeks. SO I would wait til this weekend.

Last year I put a tarp over the garden and was able to get the plants out the last week of april- first week of may. Too much work for me- not worth fighting nature.

Where_with_all

[Tomstrees]

I'm in zone 6/7 and I've had some plants out in pots and bring em in the shed when it gets too cold.

But this week? I'm no longer sitting these plants - they're going in the ground!

~ Tom

[Alberta]

Elliot
I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply sooner, but my computer was offline (out getting fixed). I'm on Long Island too, and I lost a few while hardening them off during that week it got so chilly. I'm much futher east than you and they are all in the ground now though, do or die. Its still too chilly at night for eggplants though, so those are on hold, til the ground warms up. Hope that helps some.
Alberta