Growing potatoes » Germination http://www.growingpotatos.org Potatoes are fun to grow and a small area can provide a nice yield of this tasty vegetable. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:23:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Use soil thermometer when planting vegetables http://www.growingpotatos.org/use-soil-thermometer-when-planting-vegetables/ http://www.growingpotatos.org/use-soil-thermometer-when-planting-vegetables/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:13:39 +0000 admin http://www.growingpotatos.org/?p=419 Soil thermometer is important garden tool when you are going to plant potatoes.
When growing potato plants, it is important to keep in mind that potatoes are cool weather vegetables.
The best time when to plant potatoes is in early spring. Planting potatoes 2 – 3 weeks before your last frost date will produce the most satisfactory results.
But you should know the temperature of your soil.
Most vegetable seeds don’t like cold wet soil and will refuse to germinate, even rot. Now, this is more important for starting seeds in your unheated greenhouse.

You should use indoors to monitor the ambient general temperatures surrounding your seed environment. You also can use a heating mat to give your seeds a head start.

Make sure that the soil isn’t getting too hot.
For general seed germination, the soil temperature should be in the 60-75 degree range.

If your soil temperature is staying too warm, then the heat needs to be turned down or preferable off in the room where the seed flats are at. Seedlings like a night time soil temperature of 50-60 degrees so the plant can harden off gradually.

I had my heat mats plugged into my timer so at night when the lights and fan turned off, so did the heat mats. Once the seeds have germinated, turn off the heat mats permanently. They don’t need them and you want your seedlings to grow up stout and ready to go outside in the real world.

Consider the following information about soil temperature when you are going to plant vegetables.

  • 60 F – tomatoes, cucumbers, snap beans
  • 65 F – sweet corn, lima beans, mustard greens
  • 70 F – peppers, watermelons, squash, southern peas
  • 75 F – okra, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes

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Tips for vegetables growing

  • Organic pest control begins with healthy soil. It produces healthy plants, which are better able to withstand disease and insect damage.
  • Specimen plants which need a warmer climate zone than you have do well in sheltered, south-facing walls. The wall acts as a solar collector, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night, creating a small zone that is warmer than the rest of the garden.

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