Average spring PLANTING DATES

Tree planting near Austerfield  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So you have decided to take up planting trees, but you don’t know when to plant them. Read on the topic here! In “Know When to Plant What: Find Your Average Last Spring Frost Date” by Cheryl Long, an article published in 2008, Long writes, “The key factor that should guide your decisions is your average last spring frost date. Most cool season crops, like cabbage, broccoli, lettuce and many others, can tolerate a light frost and will grow best when sown a couple weeks before your last spring frost.”

It is important to track the frost dates in your area in order to make sure your plants do not wither or freeze in spring’s transitioning weather. There are many websites that offer advice on the correct dates for optimum planting time depending on the plant. Most dates range from the end of March until the end of April. For instance, http://www.heirloomseeds.com/schedule.htm gives a detailed list of plants and vegetables that should be planted in specific times. Cheryl Long notes that “There are U.S. maps that show last frost dates, but it’s hard to find your exact local dates on them. Your best bet is the National Climatic Data Center. Choose your state and then locate the city nearest you, and it will show your average last spring (and first fall) frost dates, based upon weather data collected by the National Climatic Data Center from 1971 through 2000 from that location.”

According to Landscaping on About.com, “Planting trees when they're dormant is advisable since that's when handling them is least disruptive to them. When do they go dormant? In the Northern Hemisphere, they begin to enter dormancy at some point in the autumn and begin to leave it at some point in the spring.”

Therefore, planting is not just something to do in the springtime; it is something to plan ahead preferably in the fall time. Greenwood Nursery.com explains that there are some pre-planting steps to keep in mind. First is site conditions, “Before you plant, think about the characteristics of your site. Characteristics such as soil type, slope, accessibility, proximity to water, etc, will definitely affect the viability of the trees you plant.” The second aspect of pre-planting is the selection of tree species. “Different tree species have different tolerances to the environment, particularly in their formative years. 

To improve the chances of having strong, healthy trees, think about conditions such as the average amount of annual rainfall, the dates of the first and last frost, and so on. Then select species that enjoy those particular conditions” And finally, Greenwood nursery.com reminds us to control weeds around the “to keep competing for vegetation at bay, use a herbicide suitable for use near the type of tree you plant. Reason? You're less likely to damage the delicate trunks and roots than if you were to use a hoe. Or the neighbor's mower as our reader discovered!”

Good luck with your spring planting adventures and may your trees flourish!

---

---