Help with last frost and when to start seeds..

[WindyCityMom]

So, here in Chicago, according to a few sites, my last frost is April 22nd and that lasts until October 26th

So, if I start seeds, I'd be hoping to plant around May 1st, just to be safe since, if you've been to Chicago, it's almost an anything goes kind of thing and around here, mother nature seems like she can't make up her mind

When would I start seeds? I'm planning on container growing, probably, for the most part. Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, possibly some herbs... anyways, when do I start seeds? How do I know?

I'm a beginner... my mother and I had a garden when I was a child and we kind of just experimented and it turned out wonderfully... everything but our pumpkins, I should add.

Thanks in advance

[maplesugar]

Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, I start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Also basil. Beans and cukes you can just plant outside. I have never heard of anyone starting beans before planting outside...

I am a zone behind you and I plan on directly planting peas, spinach, radishes, and greens outside real soon, no starting neccesary. Also cilantro goes outside asap, direct seed.

[WindyCityMom]

Thanks Told ya I'm a beginner

[goldfinches]

I just moved from there and never planted my tomatoes until Memorial Day, per local expert recs. May 1 could be a little aggressive, so save some of your starts just in case

[flapjill]

I just started everything, even beans... (though I'm about 3 states south of you)

[WindyCityMom]

Thanks for the tip

[cschick]

Hmm. I'm in Chicagoland too, and all the local nurserys generally put up signs proclaiming that the average date of last frost is May 15th.

I started my tomatoes, peppers and basil last weekend with the expectation that is a little early, and I may have to move them to larger pots before moving them outside. When May comes, I'll play it by ear: if we enter into May with average temps on the high side, I'll probably be willing to put them out between the 1st and 15th and be willing to cover with a tarp if temps do an abrupt turnabout.

The first week of May, no matter what the temp is, I generally throw out some lettuce, radishes, carrots (all plants that can survive a light frost) seeds into the garden. They sprout eventually.

Squash, beans, peas, I'll start outside after May 15th.

(Oh, the other thing I do is start more of each plant than I'll probably have room to plant in the garden. If I plant outside early, I'll keep the extras around inside just in case for a few weeks.)

[goldfinches]

Weeellllll... I wouldn't say I waited to Memorial day to plant any of my tomatoes or peppers, either.
But, they never did better than those I planted on Memorial Day.

One thing my in-laws taught me was to put a water tube or black pipe around the plants. That heats up the ground around them and keeps them warm through the nights. They've even used wooden box forms and had good luck. So, if you plant them early, try something like that.

[velochic]

Something else to consider (I'm zone 5, too) is that ground temperature (not necessarily air temp) is important for some plants. That's probably why early planting of tomatoes doesn't help (they like warm soil) and why lettuce and peas thrive (they like cool soil). So don't go just on your last frost, but what the soil temp is, as well.

Also... as corny as it seems, I swear by my Farmer's Almanac. My family are farmers (large scale, thousands of acres) and they have always deferred to the Farmer's Almanac for their household gardens.

[lucifugous]

Seed packets usually have information about when they should be planted relative to first frost. Tomatoes, peppers, & some other warm-weather crops say to put in the ground after any chance of frost has passed, and recommend starting them 6-8 weeks before planting. Others are ok to put in a couple weeks before the average last frost (kale and some others are actually sweetened by a mild frost), and my snap peas say as soon as the soil is workable (ground unfrozen)- though I'm certainly glad I didn't put them in this past week! What a cold spell we are having! Hopefully it will be the last Because of lake effect, people close to the shore in Chicago & Evanston are technically in zone 6 and can plant earlier. But it all depends what you want. Radishes may be ready to eat less than a month after planting, but other plants take three months until harvest time. Some don't mind being moved and others are very likely to fail if transplanted. Some will wilt in the summer heat, and others will keep on going! I am a total noob but so far I've learned that I pretty much had to pick out what I wanted and then figure out the conditions each will need. Whole Foods and Gethsemane (or wherever else) only carry seeds for plants that are viable in our zone, though some of them may only work out if started inside. I personally am not relying much on starting plants inside. I have some hot peppers that our upstairs neighbors will let me keep on their porch. But really the experts say that you need to have either really great southern exposure or a grow light positioned a few inches from the soil for several hours a day to start strong seedlings. Then again, it's worth a shot! Good luck