Re: [gardeners] Warm enough to put out tomato plants
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 16 Apr 2002 08:59:35 -0500
Our Big Bertha peppers have small fruit and mucho blooms on them. This is the first time I have
grown Big Bertha but Alan Merten, who gardens in Texas, recommended them a few years ago.
We have also gone back to the old Gulf Coast standards in tomatoes, Celebrity, Better Boy, and a new
one to us, Goliath.
We are getting up to temps as low as 62F and then seeing it reach 82F by late afternoon. This means
we missed spring this year and are going directly into summer. We didn't even bother to plant
lettuce or chard this spring, figuring it would bolt as soon as it came up.
The roses are in bloom and one of our giant amaryllis has 4 bloom stalks up and there are 4 to 5
blooms per stalk. I suspect that, over the years, we now have several large bulbs in the same area
so have marked it for exploration this fall. Surprisingly a nice amaryllis came up in the azalea
thicket in front of the greenhouse. Sort of a striped peach and white with fairly large blooms. Miz
Anne doesn't remember planting it but I seem to remember a plastic flower pot being there a long
time ago. Anyway, marked that one for transfer to the front bulb garden in the fall.
Got the okra seed in the ground yesterday plus the green beans and crowder peas were planted. Just a
few more things to go in and we will have the whole garden planted.
George
> Marguerite Ruch wrote:
>
> Our weather seems to be warm enough, consistently now, here on the shore of Truman Lake, in the
> southern part of Missouri, that I have already put out tomato plants, Big Bertha pepper plants,
> etc. I am prepared to run out and cover them, any time the forecast would indicate freezing
> temperatures. Otherwise, I am gambling on their success, starting this early in the spring. My
> raised bed garden is on the sheltered, south side of a long building, and is more likely to be a
> warm area, sooner than other locations.
> Lettuces, spinach, and other salad greens are growing fast. My Hybrid Tea roses, and all other
> flowers are doing great, too.
> Marguerite Ruch
> mjotl@dam.net