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Is it time to plant tomatoes in the ground in Canada?
It depends on the region. Here the leaves are out in the trees so everything is lush and green and the highs are all above 20C or 70F but the nights are still cool. The average low is about 10C or 50F but for example tomorrow night will be 5C which is about 45F I'd say.
It can also depend on the year. This spring has been way cooler than normal. Often it's a lot warmer than this year's has been.
Is it time to plant tomatoes in the ground in Canada?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo
I guess the short-season varieties are preferred by Canadian gardeners?
It is time for planting tomatoes, though one does have to be careful--a late frost can still occur at this time of year, so something to cover the plants is often handy if the weather report indicates an overnight frost.
People grow all kinds of tomatoes. Short-season ones are not necessarily preferred, but they do ripen faster, so that appeals to many people. But even other varieties will generally ripen by August, and will continue until late September/early October.
As always, Mouldy, you should be mindful that when you ask, "Is it time to plant tomatoes in the ground in Canada?" you're asking about a huge place. I'm speaking about the climate where I am; it would be different for other parts of the country--time to plant may be earlier, or later, elsewhere. But generally-speaking; yes, it is time to plant tomatoes.
Most suppliers of tomatoes dont leave their crops to the whims of mother nature and prefer the year round convenience and reliability of the green house . https://www.google.ca/search?q=tomat...xvUp1YIlvTOQM:
For backyard gardeners its that time of year to tend the garden and start planting.
I haven't yet planted tomatoes but they could be planted. In the past I have used plastic coats to protect plants at night and be able to start some plants early. After a very dry spring we had what a lot of farmers call a million dollar rain Thursday into Friday - the rain that will make all the difference in whether you get a crop off the field. I think we hadn't had rain in over two months after a dry and cold winter.
In the garden, I have planted Yukon Gold and Norland potatoes, mesclun lettuce, spinach, parsnips, broad beans, green beans, yellow beans, celery, celeriac, carrots, multiplier onions, garlic...and I'm not sure what else. I held back on planting the corn.
I haven't yet planted the started plants like peppers and melons. My plan this summer is to have a Pay What You Can vegetable stand at the end of the driveway and see how that works out. My garden always produces more than we can eat and unlike in the old days, a lot of rural people no longer bother with gardens.
ETA in recent years I've been trying out different heritage varieties of tomatoes.
I haven't yet planted tomatoes but they could be planted. In the past I have used plastic coats to protect plants at night and be able to start some plants early. After a very dry spring we had what a lot of farmers call a million dollar rain Thursday into Friday - the rain that will make all the difference in whether you get a crop off the field. I think we hadn't had rain in over two months after a dry and cold winter.
In the garden, I have planted Yukon Gold and Norland potatoes, mesclun lettuce, spinach, parsnips, broad beans, green beans, yellow beans, celery, celeriac, carrots, multiplier onions, garlic...and I'm not sure what else. I held back on planting the corn.
I haven't yet planted the started plants like peppers and melons. My plan this summer is to have a Pay What You Can vegetable stand at the end of the driveway and see how that works out. My garden always produces more than we can eat and unlike in the old days, a lot of rural people no longer bother with gardens.
ETA in recent years I've been trying out different heritage varieties of tomatoes.
I never heard much about about growing veggies in the Prairies. Does it get hot and dry in the summer?
As for long or short varieties, this local gardener suggests a mix.
"It’s no sense growing long season tomatoes if they don’t produce before summer is over. So choosing a mix of short season, mid season and long season varieties will have you harvesting all season long. Generally the cherry tomatoes ripen first and the beefsteak tomatoes are much later often taking 80-90 days to harvest. "
I never heard much about about growing veggies in the Prairies. Does it get hot and dry in the summer?
Yes, it often does. The last couple of years we didn't have great summers. Our nights got quite cool last summer and there weren't as many days when the temperature reached 30C.
Rural people here always had gardens here but now they often don't. I didn't have a garden the last two years due to my husband being in the hospital and I was itching to get my hands in the dirt. You do usually have to water gardens and I had been watering as the garden was powder dry.
I don't know about gardens in Saskatchewan and Alberta. I would say generally it's drier yet.
ETA: one trick my grandfather used when growing melons was putting old planes of glass around melons. The glass created extra heat. I did that as well years ago and I did have good melons.
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