sunflower13
Senior Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:29 pm
Location: Eastern Washington Z 6 HZ 3-4

Summer gardening in Eastern Wa/North Idaho

I have been gardening for about 5 years now. First, I did container gardening and now I rent a plot. One thing that I have not nailed down is the exact time to plan my tomatoes. In my area, I have heard that if some mountain has lost all of its snow, it is time to plant lol. I have also been told the 3rd week in June. Last year I put them out in June but it rained for 3 weeks and nearly killed them. Then the end of the June it turned to 100 degrees after being 60s and rainy. My last frost date is around the middle of May but it always seems too cold and they have to be covered some nights. So I was curious if anyone in my area has a certain thing they look for or a weather pattern. Much appreciated!

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm not in your area, and can't really answer your question, but it is interesting. Your zone 6 is a lot different than my zone 6. My average last frost date is a month earlier than yours. Are you near Yakima? It was one of the few places in WA I saw with a last frost date that late:

https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-wa ... te-map.php

Your first frost in fall is only a couple weeks earlier than mine, but still that means on average you have six weeks less growing season than I do.

Given that, why not get them out earlier and cover them as needed? Personally I always rush my season some and I think I get tomatoes sooner than my neighbors that way. The plants don't look like they are doing much while it is still chilly, but they are putting down roots and getting ready to take off when the warm comes.

User avatar
digitS'
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3925
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

You are in my area . . . but, there are ups and downs :).

We often experience very cool weather in late spring. A warm week or 2 in May and some mild weather in June can make a great deal of difference in our growing season. Cool summer nights may interfere later but a lingering cold spring is a frequent problem. All this isn't entirely unlike some of the other areas of the interior West. Just think "higher elevation" as you look towards Utah, Colorado, etc.

I wish I knew how to interpret Weather Service information beyond those 5 to 7 day forecasts. I am always a little too optimistic starting seed indoors and too often in setting out transplants. Fortunately, I have a good number of 5-gallon buckets to cover things when frost threatens. Still, I realize that my peppers never have a fair chance of getting through the early weeks without some stunting from the cold. Waiting too many weeks just seems to increase the chance that there won't be ripe fruit coming off things like peppers and tomatoes before the first frost of Autumn.

Roll of the dice . . . of course, some varieties can bloom and set fruit at lower temperatures. Some varieties of sweet corn will germinate better in cool soil. I grow a few things under plastic film set over a couple of beds in the backyard. The lettuce is nearly ready in there and bok choy has almost reached the end of its harvest period. I could have peppers and tomatoes set out under that plastic, keep it vented thru the sunny days and pull the film off in another couple of weeks -- big head start I'd bet!

I grow too many plants and have too large a garden for that. Besides, there is only one location where I'm confident of getting that flimsy structure of plastic film and pvc pipes thru our windy spring! Some gardeners use the walls-of-water set-ups and are happy with them. I can imagine that they would help.

My location had a frost earlier this week. The cool-season plants are already in the garden and had to deal with that. I noticed yesterday that the potatoes are up and yet undamaged! I'm thinking that here, at 2,000 feet elevation, that may have been our last frost. The tomatoes will probably go out in the next few days. I'll likely hold off a little longer with the peppers, certainly longer for the eggplant and basil. But, I am keeping those buckets handy for whatever goes out there!

Are you having any trouble finding your averages for frost dates and are there nearby gardeners where you can check on what they are up to???

Steve

sunflower13
Senior Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:29 pm
Location: Eastern Washington Z 6 HZ 3-4

Thank you both for your answers! I have to agree, Rainbowgardener, we are very strange here in Eastern WA weather-wise. I am not in Yakima but know of it and it is usually hotter and dryer. I am closer to the border of Idaho. I would just throw them out there but I have a rented plot that is a far distance from me to cover and uncover. But I think I might just risk it. It is hard to grow here and with a short season, I almost don't make it. Last year, my indeterminate tomatoes didn't ripen until end of August. I need to buy a house with a big lot so I can cover and uncover easier :)!

Hi Steve! It is a gamble! I think I will risk it this year or at least put a few out every week starting now. Some people in the community garden have started putting their tomatoes out. I am always holding my breath once I put them out there that the weather won't pull its cool stunt in June. I should look at some tomato varieties that handle the cooler temps like you mentioned. I am good on the frost dates; I am just worried about those freak cold spells and torrential rains we sometimes get in June. I guess I will get the peppers ready for two weeks after the tomatoes and hope for the best. Such a delicate balance to not be too early or too late :)

Thanks again!



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”