Tag Archives: spring frost date

Tomatoes or Not Tomatoes? That is the Question!

Leave a comment

This winter, I didn’t heat my greenhouse so I’m sitting here thinking, should I start tomato plants from seed this year, or not? Sometimes I start seeding some as early as March in the growing trays. But March requires some heat in the greenhouse. Some tomato seeds however may be started in April. Waiting until April reduces my need for any heat or maybe that is when I will start up the heater again just to keep it warm enough. Usually, I start my seeds on heat mats inside my greenhouse too – and that is fine up until the germination starts and they get larger. Once they germinate, I need to keep the heat consistent inside the greenhouse as best as possible or avoid freezing of course!

The first big question is which last spring frost date to use? I always use May 12th here at my location, in Connecticut. That is a good guide. However, last year, we had a slight frost a couple days later. Not a biggie because usually May 12th is when I would be hardening off (transitioning the plants in and out for about a week or so to acclimate them from indoor growing to the outdoor environment). They wouldn’t actually be planted immediately after the 12th. They are put outdoors and returned indoors for a week or so, and I watch the weather forecasts or use my weather app on my iPhone to keep an eye on the expected temperatures. Usually, I plant them outdoors on Memorial Day.

I have also thought about if I should just buy some plants and grow them inside the greenhouse this year, test that out. I always grow my plants outdoors in container gardens but inside the greenhouse, they would receive protection from wild animals. However, the animals only show up when they see bright red tomatoes, so putting them outside in planters is fine up until you harvest later in the summer. And plants do grow better outdoors with the fresh air and sunshine (and natural insect predators). A greenhouse would need venting and lots of watering if it got hot, etc.

Cherokee starting to change colors.

It’s ironic that after I perfected my whole tomato growing process for years, I am adjusting it to a new routine of seeding and timings. That is the way of growing plants, learning plants, experiencing plants – it always, always changes each year. It seems for me anyhow. Experimenting can be part of the fun or part of the headaches too. This year, I’d like to save a bit of money. It is not too expensive to start seeds but keeping them growing as you pot up and such does require some good quality soil mix and tasks to monitor and water, etc.

Yummy – This is the photo that will motivate me!

For years, I grew many heirlooms and other interesting tomato plants. Some of my favorites have been Oxheart Tomatoes (huge, 3 lbs), Goldie (heirloom so flavorful and pretty yellow), Cherokee Purple (self-explanatory!), Bumble Bee or Fox Cherry Tomatoes (prolific and delicious)! The list goes on.

The thing is Oxhearts may be started anywhere from 6-10 weeks before the expected (or estimated) spring last frost date, which I noted above, I go with May 12th each year. 10 weeks before the frost date is early March, but you can wait till 6 weeks before. Anyhow, probably what I will do is stick with the varieties I can start 4 to 6 weeks before the frost date. Some are Paul Robeson tomato, Honey Drop Cherry (another unbelievable sweet as honey cherry tomato), Mikado (heirloom). Or maybe I’ll be lazy this year, and just go buy some!

Sowing Seeds

Many people start their tomato seeds in early April (6-week mark). You sow and grow them and then once May 12th comes around, carefully watch the weather. They are not planted out until Memorial Day (safe in the ground or in pots usually). Also, May 12th happens to be Mother’s Day this year, so write on Mother’s Day that is your expected last spring frost date. Then look at your seed packet and see where it says how many weeks before the frost date to start the seed in seed trays. Each type of tomatoe is different for the “weeks before” to start them. If you start too early, the seedling plants may get too large, if you start too late, they won’t be ready to fruit in time in the summer. So just look at the packet on when to start sowing your seeds.

Goldie Tomato Above

Another thing – is cost of all the materials. From seed starting mixes to and mixes to pot the seedlings up to and all of that. I do have all the trays and plastic pots in stock but the mixes and such costs extra (rather than just buying some from a local nursery). However, I would miss out on the fun of growing them from seed and utilizing my greenhouse. So, the debate continues in my mind for now.

My tomato jungle

I also like to grow basil. Basil is started two to four weeks before my last spring frost date. Basil is kind of a must if you are growing tomatoes! But they do need warmth and do not like cold temps, thus the greenhouse heating thing again comes up. And of course, it should be warmer two to four weeks before our frost date, mid-April ish. Decisions Decisions.

Baby Seedlings

One of the things that usually drives my decision is looking at all the wonderful tomato photos which are already starting up in Facebook feeds – oh gosh, a homegrown yummy tomato is the BEST! I actually can’t eat tomatoes as much due to a health issue – seems my body is not liking them as much (acidity). Maybe I ate too many but my husband, Steve, loves tomatoes, so if anything, I grow them for him and also because I love plants all around on my deck, including creating a tomato jungle. And I love making sauces or apps with tomatoes.

Well, there is still time to ponder all – but it is not a bad time to look at the calendar and my planning charts to remind me of timing. I just wrote down May 12th on my calendar to remind me that is my last spring frost date estimate, and I also counted back to 6-8 weeks before to make a notation to start seeds if I decide to do so. At a minimum, I have glanced over all and now may ponder this some more.

Have a nice weekend,

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT Blog
Broad Brook/East Windsor, CT
Zone 6b

Date of this post: 1/26/2024

Last Spring Frost Date 2023

Leave a comment

Every year, I use the date of May 12th as my estimated last spring frost date. My tomato plants and hot pepper plants cannot be planted outside before this estimated frost date. If I planted my new starter plants outside before the estimated frost date, I’d risk losing them. Frost will kill them. In addition to this timing, usually the soil is not warm enough outside either; so, there is a period of time to acclimate your plants outdoors before you actually plant them in the ground.

There are many resources on the web where you can search for what the spring frost date is in your area. Some of the sites provide the ability to just enter your zip code to see where it falls. For example, try this site provided by almanac.com. When I enter my zip code, a date of April 27 is produced as my last spring frost date.

April 27th is too early for me. Based on years of growing tomato and hot pepper plants from seed, I feel this date is far too risky. May 12th is a safer date, and this is the date I use to count backwards on my calendar to determine when to sow my seeds. See my prior posts on that. So I use that last spring frost date to count backyards for sowing seeds, but also my estimate as to when I might be able to put my starter plants grown from seed outdoors to acclimate them after the frost has definitely passed.

In addition to frost, tomato and hot pepper plants like warmth. While the last spring frost may have passed, the ground is still cold and not completely warmed up outside. So, planting the starter tomato plants waits a bit longer – till end of May (Memorial Day). Following this timing has worked out for me over the years.

What typically happens is we may get a early warm up. It will feel fantastic outdoors and your soul and body will feel as though it is time to plant. But I caution you to be aware, things always change quickly. I am always amazed at how fast Mother Nature changes her mind.

Not only does Mother Nature change her moods, but she also has the amazing ability to provide a new twist on the weather and climate. For example, I think this past winter has been a mostly a windy winter with no snow! We’ve had no snow until one day this week in March. Before that, there were days that felt like spring! My husband is amazed he has not plowed the driveway once this entire winter of 2023.

Last year, it was a drought year during the summer months of 2022. That was not helpful to my container gardens during the summer when my tomatoes and other plants were outdoors growing fully. Anyhow, my point is, only Mother Nature truly knows when the last spring frost date will be, and I swear, last year, I don’t recall experiencing a hard frost in the spring. I usually write it down on my wall calendar when it actually occurs to track information. Climate change, Mother Nature’s closest cousin, throws in his own blend of ideas on how to mess with our planning and tracking. You get the idea. Climate change has been changing some of our past gardening routines and timing.

The key thing is if you get anxious, to remember to watch your local weather stations during late April to early May, and they usually will give you a heads-up if a hard or light spring frost is coming. And if you decided to tempt fate and put your plants out into a garden before frost and a later frost happens, you could protect your seedlings perhaps by using an appropriate method to cover the plants. This may be okay for plants not so affected by frost and cold, but I find tomatoes really should be put out when we are sure it is warm enough outdoors and after the estimated frost date. Exposing them to frost situations will only cause your plant to start off wrong. Frost will kill the plants that need warmth the most, like tomatoes and pepper plants, as well as any tender non-hardy plants.

Between May 12th, which again is my personal estimated spring frost date, to the end of May, this is the time period where I harden off my tomato starter plants outdoors. It gives you a couple weeks to expose them to the outdoor elements gradually. The starter plants are put outdoors on a table to be exposed to the outdoor elements each day and taken back in. If you decide you want to start moving them into their permanent container gardens, patio pots, and anything other than a garden in the ground, I suppose you could move the pot into your garage if a frost arrives, but I don’t recommend planting them outdoors earlier than Memorial Day (end of May). It just gets the plants cold and stressed.

With all of this said, I’m referring to my location in Broad Brook, CT which is Zone 6b. You may live in a part of Connecticut that is warmer, or perhaps you have some unique setup or micro-climate. When you look at sites providing frost date information, they explain in detail the calculated risks of frost dates and all the factors around these estimates.

I know when I first tried to determine my last spring frost date information, it drove me crazy. There were so many variations, it is truly frustrating. If you are new to gardening, ask your nursery person or neighbor who’s a gardener what date they may use as their estimated guide for their last spring frost date. I’m sure you will get various responses on that. But always be aware, plants have different needs. Not all vegetable plants are equal. Some vegetables may be exposed to cooler temperatures, so if you ask, be sure to ask for the type of plant you want to transplant into your gardens or container gardens and patio pots.

As I have noted, hardening off is required for indoor grown seedling plants. They must be moved outdoors to get them acclimated. You must protect them from harsh sun, gusty winds, and cool temperatures. Usually, you start by putting them in a shady location and move them more each day for a few hours to sun.

This is my date list of how it goes for me:

May 12th – My Estimated Spring Frost Date; Watch the tv news around this timeframe, see if they announce it then or before.

May 15 – May 26 – Harden off the Starter Plants outdoors for a few hours every day.

May 22 week – People pick up starter plants from me and harden them off at home (or they secretly plant them early because they feel it is safe for them! LOL).

May 29 – Start planting all outdoors in pots and in the ground and enjoy watching them grow till they produce fruit in the summer! May 29th is the date for 2023 Memorial Day.

Have a good day,

Cathy Testa
Broad Brook, CT
Container Crazy CT