Using the last frost date in spring or our average air temperatures might be a good guideline to start with when figuring out when to plant the garden, but a better method for knowing when it’s actually time to sow those seeds or transplant those plants is the soil temperature. Even though the air temperatures may be warmer than usual, the soil knows the truth. If that soil is cold and wet, or might be that way in the next ten days, your tomatoes, or peppers, or whatever, are not going to be happy sitting in chilled soil, no matter how warm the daytime air temperatures get. But, your sugar snap peas and lettuce might be thrilled.

So, today on Just Grow Something we’ll talk about optimal soil temperatures for both cool season and warm season crops, for both seed germination and transplant growth, how to properly check your soil temperature, and where to find historic soil temperature data for your area so you can more effectively plan your planting dates and not be lulled into that false sense of security. Let’s dig in.

References and Resources:

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Soil Temperature and Seed Germination (psu.edu)

Microsoft Word - Soil Temp Planting V2docx (wisc.edu)

Minera Nutrition of Plants: Principles and Perspectives | SpringerLink

facts you didn’t know about soil temperature (farmprogress.com)

Soil Temperature and Planting Crops (harvesttotable.com)

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