March 28, 2024

Anxious gardeners need to wait on flowers

After enduring a cold winter, the first signs of warmth can bring out the green thumb in anxious gardeners, but planting anything in the ground before the frost is gone will only lead to dead plants and lost money.

“The main worry is that it will get cold again, and it will. Even in the coming nights it is suppose to be in the 20s. Really, the next 30 days, you can go from 85 to below freezing in a 24 hour period. Your best bet is still to go by the suggested growing calendar versus getting caught up in the warmth,” Rob Satterfield, owner of Hendrickson Greenhouse and Floral in Newton.

He said instead of grabbing the flowering plants and going to town, start working on the flower beds, getting them ready by tilling the soil and removing debris.

“Get all of your prep work done on these nice days that we are having early so that when it is time, all of that work is done,” Satterfield said.

One planting option in the colder months is cold weather vegetables — peas, cabbage, lettuce, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli — aren’t bothered by cooler weather and can also quench a thirst for gardeners.

Although it may be tempting, Satterfield suggests waiting until after May 1 to start in on any flower or blooming plants. By waiting, it is less likely the plants will endure a frost, giving them a better change to survive and thrive.

“A lot of annuals, especially flower and blooming annuals you really don’t want to get out there much before May 1. A lot of our customers still go by the Mother’s Day rule. They don’t want to plant anything outside that can get killed by frost before Mother’s Day (the second Sunday of May),” Satterfield said.

To further the warning, Satterfield told of a stretch in 2012 where there were 10 days reaching 80 to 85 degree weather, and then it turned and there was a freeze on April 5.

“It is still Iowa, still the Midwest,” Satterfield said.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com