Extension tips
By ROBERT N. BREWER, JR. Extension Service Agent UGA

Spring soil temperatures: Don't rush Mother Nature

Your calendar and a soil thermometer will help you know the proper planting time for your garden vegetables.

Many of the vegetables we plant are from the tropics. They don't like cold soils and won't grow well in them. To get the best growth, then, plant all transplants and seeds within a certain soil-temperature range.

Planting too early, before the soil has had time to warm up, can lead to seed rot, slow germination, poor growth and disease.

For example, cucumber seeds usually take less than a week to germinate in soil of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. They could take two weeks in 60-degree soil. Tomato transplants need a soil above 60 degrees to grow. And setting out pepper plants before the soil is 70 degrees could stunt their growth for the entire growing season.

You could buy a soil thermometer at a local nursery or hardware store. Or order one from a gardening catalog.

Then, to get the correct soil temperature, get readings on three consecutive mornings. Take readings at 1 to 2 inches for seeds and 4 to 6 inches for transplants.

Here's a good general guide for minimum soil temperatures for seeds and transplants. Plant tomatoes, cucumbers and snap beans at 60 degrees; sweet corn, lima beans and mustard greens at 65; peppers, watermelons, squash and southern peas at 70; and okra, cantaloupe and sweet potatoes at 75.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences