If you ’re like many gardeners , you commence perusing come catalogue and stargaze of garden - grow tomatoes and peppers in early February or before . In fact , long before it ’s secure to plant these frost - attender vegetables . Unless , of class , you play a trick on Mother Nature by manipulating growing conditions .
Through a few dewy-eyed gardening strategies , you may safely establish tomatoes and peppers several weeks before the last expected Robert Frost . This former starting signal is especially helpful if you live in an area with short growing season , where tomato may not mature before the first fall icing .
1. Warm the Soil:
Using Raised Beds for Early Planting
One of the simplest ways to warm up up the vegetable garden is through the use of raised bed . Raised bed can be as simple-minded as soil mound above the surround soil , or for an attractive , permanent bed , make raised beds from rot - resistant true cedar or wood credit card composite . Because a enhance bed sits above land , water supply drains more cursorily and the stain warm up sooner . With proper hoar protection , you could constitute tomatoes and capsicum pepper plant as much as six calendar week earlier than you would in a traditional garden .
Soil tips for raised beds
When making raised beds , hold back until the dirt is dry . If you till pie-eyed grime , you ’ll damage the land social system and have operose , unworkable clods of globe .
One of the benefits of raise beds is that you may easily amend or substitute short garden grease . supplant poor soil with a in high spirits - quality top ground , or amend average grunge with 3 to 4 inches of compost or manure . Till the amendments in good and permit the bed to repose for a few day to dry .
Compare the stain in the raised seam to the beleaguer soil . When right groom , the soil in elicit bed is soft and strong , with a rich , down-to-earth smell and the grain of chocolate cake .
Make raised beds 3 feet wide or littler so you’re able to easily get at them without ill-use in the bed , which compact the soil . The beds can be as long as you wish , although most beds are between 6 and 8 understructure long .
2. Cold Frames and Hot Beds for Early Planting:
Using Plastic to Warm Soil and Frost Protection
Raised beds can evoke the soil temperature by 10 to 20 degree , compared to circumvent soil , but they wo n’t protect love apple and veggie plants from Robert Frost . engraft the tomatoes and peppers on a buggy , recent winter twenty-four hour period and give them some frost protection . Wall - oxygen - Water plastic , pee - fill clochesare a bit mussy to install , but they provide tribute for early tomato plant and peppers with fiddling movement . Here ’s how they work : the fictile tent contains several empty burrow . Place the cloche over a untested love apple plant and fill the tunnels with water . The sun warm the piss , creating a miniature nursery effect and protecting young tomatoes and peppers from all but the most stark stale weather condition . Because tomatoes and pepper are native to warm , tropic country , they flourish in these cloches . transfer the cloches when warm weather condition arrives , or when the plants begin produce flush .
Plastic cloche tender the skilful protection from frost , but they become prohibitively expensive if you have a large garden with many tomato and black pepper plants . Another option is to instal hoop tunnels or float row covers over a raised seam . Make hoop tunnel with bent PVC pipe secured to the raised seam with galvanized tube strap . breed the tobacco pipe with sheets of plastic to create a foresighted , low tunnel that protects tomatoes and peppers from frost and tip .
Try aFloating rowing Crop Cover Frost Blanket . Floating row masking are agricultural fabrics that are repose straight off on top of the tomato and pepper industrial plant . The covers give up Lord’s Day and water to percolate , but protect plants from freeze and keep the soil 10 degree warmer . Row covers ambush heat too to prevent freeze . Remove both basket tunnels and float row covers when the plants begin producing efflorescence so bee can cross-pollinate them .
Want to learn more about winter preparation for growing peppers and tomatoes?
Raised Bed Gardens – University of Minnesota ExtensionEat From the Garden All Year – Oregon State University Extension
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cubic centimeter flickr photo by TEDxManhattan
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