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When is too late for veggies?

Posted by plath Oakland Co/MI (My Page) on
Sat, Jun 4, 05 at 17:05

When is it too late to plant veggies like tomatoes, cucumber, squash (zuchini and things like pumpkin), and peppers in zone 5? Is it already too late?

I had hoped to get a garden dug and planted before now, but I'm just today digging. What can I plant that will still do great?


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: When is too late for veggies?

I know that if you bought the plants already started, you'd do fine. Lowes, Home Depot, and most nurseries sell the plants already started. Also check out your farmer's Markets. Saturday ours had several vendors with veggie plants - cabbage, peppers, tomatoes in bloom, other greens.


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RE: When is too late for veggies?

Someone told me once that if you plant tomatoes of various size at the same time, they will catch up with each other in a week or so. Last year I did notice it to work that way, but I would still buy the biggest ones I could find I guess, since I have just a small space for veggies. One year on a whim, I bought a six pack of jalapeno peppers on 4th of July and ended up with more peppers than I needed. Gardening is all an experiment so if I were you I would plant away.


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RE: When is too late for veggies?

It's not too late. Just check the growing season on the seed packages and make sure they'll be ripe before your average first frost. I'm sure your season is a bit longer than ours here in northern MI. When we had our veggie garden we never planted before Memorial Day and always expected a frost the 2nd week of June! Kept all the old sheets and blankets handy and kept hot caps on the pumpkins. Zucchini and pumpkins grow really fast so you'll be fine. You will soon be giving zukes to all your friends and neighbors! ;-) Cucumbers, radishes, peas, green beans will all be fine.

Peppers and tomatoes you should get plants already started as they need a longer growing season. If you're making salsa, plant Cilantro in July and it'll probably be growing nicely by the time the peppers and tomatoes are done. Any earlier and it will go to seed (coriander) too early.

Good luck!


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RE: When is too late for veggies?

I'm a bit late getting mine in here in Metro Detroit, but I've been late before and they do catch up. Anyway, even if you only get a few homegrown tomatoes, it's still worth it, don't you think?


 
 

 

 


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