We have crazy weather here. We can have a couple of 80 degree F days in April and snow the next week. We've had hard frosts Memorial Day weekend. Generally it's safe for me to plant cool crops the beginning of May and things like tomatoes and squashes Memorial Day weekend or later.

The dates they give are estimates. You still have to use good judgement and have some backups.

Their guidelines are just that - guidelines - and often outdated ones at that. One still has to take into consideration the current weather and forecasts come planting time.

The weather this past spring was quite unusual for many parts of the country so I surely wouldn't rule out those guidelines based on this past year. Flexability and adaptability are two practices farmers and gardeners have to incorporate daily. ;)

Dave

I used to follow them, but realized every year is different. Now they are just general guides.

When I gardened right in the ground I had to wait until after the average planting date because the soil was still wet and cold, but now that I use raised beds I start earlier as long as there is nothing particularly nasty in the forecast.

I have also found many so called cool weather plants do not germinate or grow well in cold soil. They seem to do best in warm soil and air, but will tolerate colder conditions once established. These I either fall plant or start indoors and put out later.

I follow the temp of the soil. Get a dial therometer and check the temp at 2 inches deep mid morning. Some things will do ok at 50 and some it must be 70.

I have always started a few plants several weeks before the earliest dates suggested. About one year out of three I get something that makes me glad I did it. Then too there is just the satisfaction that comes from tinkering which in itself I find rewarding.

I'm trying to do things outdoors more in the manner suggested by Paulc_gardener, using the soil temperature.

Mostly this is because I've yet to see a wild seed coming in to check my wall calendar.

I'm sometimes not much good at following the directions from sources other than Coop Ex. And, I often look at pictures instead of reading text . . . I blame failing hearing and eyesight.

My old aquarium thermometer worked great for checking soil temperature (bury it for 10 minutes and then come back to check). But, I lost it.

You don't need to choose the optimum temperature for quickest germination but sitting around for 51 days waiting for a carrot seed to come up is a good way to lose your temper, ya'chure.

Steve's digits

Here is a link that might be useful: Days to Germination for Vegetables/Temperatures University of Minnesota

I follow this little strange feeling I get in the pit of my stomach and I also follow the number of canning jars I have empty! :)

Seriously, I just go with the averages and pray alot.

Susan

I'll put in a few early radishes and lettuce. There are a gazillion seeds in even the smallest packs. If they don't grow I plant more in a few weeks. If they do grow I still plant a second crop in a few weeks. I figure I only have my extra seeds to lose anyway and I could get some really early crops if the weather holds. I take less chances with seeds and transplants that are limited or pricey.

I like the germination temp link. Amazing that some seeds will germinate in only 1 to 3 days. I may check soil temps more this year.

The chart from my county's Cooperative Extension lists only lettuce for planting in December, but I know from experience that we often have very mild weather in December that allows kale and other brassicas to germinate and grow to frost-tolerant size pretty quickly. It also lists the planting time for mustard as mid-February to mid-April. I've started planting mustard NOW.

So I tend to use these guides very loosely.

I don't listen to anything those guys tell me. Do they think they can guess better then me? ;Garden start dates should be considered legalized gambling!

I also use soil temps as my guide. Here in Salt Lake, we've had snow in June before, so I have lots of milk jugs to cover the little ones. I WISH I could plant lettuce or anything right now, but I don't think anything germinates under 18 inches of snow and temps between 1 and 24 degrees!

The longer I've gardened, the more I've ignored them. I constantly experiment and watch the plants carefully. Timing seems to be very site specific.

I'm planning on following Naturegirl's advice and plant the so-what crops early to see if they take, then keep planting them until they come up. It doesn't mean much since I planned on doing lettuce, etc. in two week plantings.

Around Seattle, our average LSF is April 1. I know my brother who's been doing veggie gardening for a decade in his raised beds, planted a cherry tomato plant several weeks early hoping for no more frost. He was lucky and was rewarded with an over abundance of tomtoes and his plant was the talk of the neighborhood.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden in progress...

Like Fruithack, I find myself ignoring it more and more. I do watch the weather closely, prefering overcast conditions. Also, I'm very weary of the full moon. A full moon in a clear sky in late May or early June is an almost sure bet for frost here in mid-Michigan.

Kay.

Speaking of the moon, does anyone pay any attention to the Farmer's Almanac 'best days' and planting calendar, and what have been your results?

In the beginning, I followed the Extension guidelines. Hey, I was taking the Master Gardener course, and they couldn't be wrong. (cough) The recommended dates for my area were fairly close, especially for starting seedlings. But I found myself experiencing too many failures from direct-seeded crops for my liking. Through many years of observation & experimentation, I found dates & techniques that were more consistently successful.

The problem is, there are so many factors that can influence those dates.

The annual weather, certainly... it can be better to wait a little longer & have a greater chance of success, than to gamble with earlier plantings & risk total loss due to temperamental Spring weather. Soil temperature is a more reliable indicator for planting than the calendar. I've also noticed that in my area, I can time some things by observing wild plants. When dandelions are in full bloom, it's time to get the majority of the garden planted.

Drainage has proven to be a factor as well. One of my garden plots is in a shallow wash, which often dries out several weeks after my other plots. Soil temps don't matter, if you can't plant. So the bad news is that I usually plant there several weeks later than recommended... the good news is that the silty soil there is so fertile, those veggies still manage to outproduce most of the earlier plantings.

There is also considerable variation between different vegetable varieties. I grow a lot of pole beans, and some (such as "Fortex" and "Emerite") will tolerate cooler soils (and can be planted earlier) while others (like the Horticulturals) require warmer soils to avoid rotting. The older sweet corns (like NK-199) can usually be planted well before the supersweets, which require warmer soils.

Then again, you can completely bypass the recommendations by starting transplants. With my short seasons, if I plant limas & yardlongs when the soil is warm enough, they usually won't have time enough left to mature. But most of the problems with cooler soil (especially with beans) are due to germination issues; a transplant can take cooler soil than a seed planted directly. Plus, transplants make every seed count... no need to over-plant & thin. They also give me the flexibility to "stretch" my climate zone, when choosing varieties.

If you think that I am highly endorsing transplants, you would be right. ;-) As a seed saver, I start many non-traditional things as transplants, to ensure that they will have time to mature seed. Sometimes I don't have enough seed for a second try.

The final factor that I will mention, is that depending upon the stage a veggie will be used in, you might have more flexibility in planting dates. Those grown for harvest in the immature state (snap beans, summer squash, sweet corn) can be planted over a longer window than those intended for harvest dry or mature (dry beans, winter squash, dent corn). I have great success planting cukes in mid-Summer, for early Fall pickling.

If you can wait a couple weeks into your area's growing season those guidelines will hold up most of the time.

Any time you're at any end of the suggested range you're mixing up an assortment of possible problems. Too early and you may have to provide protection or risk losing plants/seed to ground/air that isn't ready. Too late and...etc.

One thing I don't follow is the back of seed packets. The other day I was looking at a packet of Waltham butternut squash seeds, and the little map chart of the U.S. showed that I should plant from December to February. Ha! We have relatively mild winters, but not THAT mild.

I have had some success on the south wall ,slightly elevated,where a 6mil clear plastic tent is easy my tomatoes get a great head start.the 12 ounce paper cups under light in the basement are a real help, not only for the plants themselves,but for my itchy planting fingers!
Setting up the tent a little early also boosts the soil temp!

Reading the Zeedman's comment on dandelions in full bloom reminds me that Oregon grape has been a good guide for me here.

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) grows wild and lots of people have it in their yards. Certainly it is available in the nurseries.

It seems fairly unwise for me to sow the peas before this plant begins to bloom. Or if not unwise, it could be said to be unnecessary.

Weed seed springs to life every year in the garden. How this is possible, I still have not determined. Obviously, there are few cultivars that can get ahead of the weeds. Why assume otherwise?

Steve