Time to Get Growing

BY: JOHN ROBERTSONMAY 15, 2020

With plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures in the forecast, we’re all getting serious about planting this year’s flowers and vegetables, which makes it a perfect time to register for the Annual Boyertown and Pottstown Home Garden Contest.  

The forecast looks like we’re headed for a big warmup, but air temperature is only part of the story. Soil temperature can vary widely by location, so it’s worth taking the time to check your soil temperature to make sure it’s warm enough for your seeds to germinate and your seedlings to thrive. You can measure with a standard kitchen thermometer. Ideal soil temperatures vary by crop—from 40-70 degrees depending on what you’re putting in the ground.  Here’s an extensive guide to planting according to soil temperature.

If you’re like me, you’ve started some of your plants from seed and are chomping at the bit to get them in the ground.  But if you’re looking for plants, many nurseries, farm stands, and hardware stores are open for business and have flowering annuals and vegetable plants in stock.

The Historic Boyertown blog has a great resource listing local gardening centers and nurseries open during the pandemic. Seeds are still readily available at many essential retail locations, keep an eye out for seed displays at grocery and home improvement stores.