Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer for many and a popular time for Northeast Ohioans to get their favorite vegetables and flowers in the ground.
But with the cool and wet weather so far this season, many gardeners – like Judy Sewell of the Garden Club of Kent - are holding off on digging in.
“I personally am not putting my plants of this sort in until when I come back from the Indianapolis 500, so it'll be June,” Sewell said.
Sewell spoke as dozens of customers perused aisles of vibrant flowers and budding vegetable plants at the Garden Club of Kent’s annual Memorial Day sale.
It’s a great time to shop for plants, Sewell said, but she recommends gardeners keep certain vegetables in their pots for about another week.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and zucchini need warmer temperatures and drier soil to thrive, she said. They might not make it if they are planted too soon.
“If you are wearing multiple layers of clothing, it’s too cold for your tomatoes and your peppers and your eggplant,” Sewell said. “If you go out to where you garden and it's not a raised bed, and you step in the mud, it is too wet to be planting.”
Even with temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s this week, it may still be too wet for planting, she added.
“After this huge rain we had the other day, I would want 5 solid days of no rain to dry out the land,” Sewell said.
Eager gardeners can focus on getting their soil ready this week instead, she added.
“Dig where you're going to put it. I mean, you can have everything ready and then just plop the plants and once we've had some dry, and just a little heat,” Sewell said.
If you already put your veggies in the ground, don’t panic, Sewell said – but she recommends covering them with burlap or another form of protection for the time being.
“An old milk bottle, cut the bottom out, take the top off, stick it over, it'll work like one of those old-fashioned bell jars used to work,” Sewell said. They do sell plastic covers – they’re usually red - that go around tomatoes. They help bring the sun in, that might help a little bit, keep the roots a little warmer.”
Broccoli, cabbage, and root vegetables like carrots and potatoes can handle the cooler temperatures, she said. Classic fall vegetables like pumpkins and squash can also be planted.
Herbs like lavender and rosemary are fine the cold, but basil needs warmer weather, she added.
Seeds and flowers can be planted now as well, but Sewell recommends bringing in hanging baskets near your home at night.
