When to plant container gardens?

by Christy
(South Lyon, Mi)

I am a first time gardener and want to plant some veggies in containers.

Can I plant before the last frost has occurred and, if so, do I need to take the containers indoors each night?

I live in Michigan near Ann Arbor.

ANSWER:

Hi Christy,

Good job on starting your first garden!

Some vegetables, such as peas, lettuce, onions, cabbage and broccoli prefer cool weather, and will tolerate cold weather, including frosty nights and mornings. So now is a good time to plant this type of vegetables.

Other vegetables, such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and green beans are tropical plants, and will die or be terribly stunted if they are subjected to any frost.

So, yes you will need to move the containers indoors on frosty nights, or provide covers that will protect any frost-sensitive plants in your garden.

But warm-season vegetables need warm soil and air-temperatures to really start growing, so you probably will want to wait until a couple of weeks past your last expected frost date to plant this type of vegetables outdoors.

Here in Oregon, we can't plant our vegetable gardens outdoors (except for lettuce, peas, onions) until about the end of May or sometimes even early June.

If you have a raised bed, heated bed, or a very sunny sheltered spot for your containers, you can plant outdoors a couple of weeks earlier than usual. But the warm-season vegetable won't grow quickly until the weather and soil have warmed.

Hope this helps...send pictures of your garden!