What is the best time to plant tomatoes in zone 5b?
I’ve found great success in planting out my tomatoes in early to mid May, sometimes before my last frost date (zone 5b here), you just have to make sure to harden them off first. I always get a harvest earlier than others who plant theirs in early June. Tomato plants fruit from June until the first frosts, thriving in the warm, light conditions of summer. However, the ripening process slows down as the days become shorter, so fruit that develops from September may not ripen before the first frosts arrive. Tomatoes ripen most quickly in a warm, light environment.Watching the weather for frost is critical. Harvest all your tomatoes before frost threatens and bring them indoors for sorting. Those that are ripe or almost ripe are ready for quick use. The green tomatoes will need to be stored, ripened, or processed.
Are there any vegetables that can be planted in October?
Mid-fall (September to early October): Plant root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and radishes. These need time to develop but grow quickly in cool weather. Late fall (October): Hardy greens like kale, winter lettuce, and chard can be planted closer to frost since they’re more cold-tolerant. Examples of crops that you can plant now and hope to harvest by fall include: beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, kohlrabi, kale, radishes, turnips, mustard greens, leaf lettuce and spinach.If you are new to gardening, you may not realize that—even if you had some leftover seeds—heat-loving veggies such as peppers, beans, squashes, and eggplants cannot be planted in fall gardens because they will not have enough time to fruit before a frost.While it’s a good idea to fertilize annual vegetables in the fall, you’ll want to avoid doing this for perennial plantings in your garden. Fertilizing perennial crops in the fall is discouraged because fertilizer will encourage the plant to put on new growth, which you don’t want so close to winter, says Staples.