This weekend may be a good time for gardening, but experts say it pays to be strategic about how you plant.
Cornell University horticulture expert Professor Marvin Pritts said it has been an almost perfect winter and spring for gardeners. It has been cold enough to keep the plants dormant, but not too cold.
"Some years we get a warm-up in say February for five or six or seven days, then it gets cold again. That's really damaging the plants because the water starts to move into the plants,” he said. “Then it gets cold again, (and) that water freezes.
Pritts said now is the time to plant seeds if you want to grow warm-season crops, like tomatoes, peppers, and squash. But don’t move them outside until the danger of frost has passed, usually around May 20. He advises waiting to plant most flowers, too. However, some crops can be put into the ground soon.
"Plants that we just eat the leaf from or the flower from, like broccoli or lettuce or spinach, those can generally be planted out before May 20, usually in early May," Pritts said.
Pritts said trees, strawberries, or other perennial crops can be planted now. And he said even if you’re not a seasoned gardener, it’s a great year to give it a try.
"A lot of people go through life with what they call plant blindness. They don't see plants,” he said. “They're just there, but they don't even think about them. But when you grow up working in a garden and being outside, you notice the plants and the benefits they provide for us."
