Itching to Get in the Garden? Here’s What You Can be Working on

We are only 30 days away from the Vernal Equinox and with warmer weather in the forecast, you may be thinking spring!

The average last freeze in the DFW area is typically the second week of March. But there have been freezes into April. The latest last freeze on record at DFW Airport is April 13, which occurred in both 1997 and 1957.

While it’s still too early to plant seeds outside, it’s the perfect time to add compost to your garden, spread a new layer of mulch, or even build new beds and trellises for the coming season.

According to Horticulturist, Daniel Cunningham, “Maybe the most surprising vegetable gardeners can be planting now are tomatoes! Tomatoes don’t typically produce very well when temperatures are above 95F. So that means we have a short window in spring and another pretty short window in fall to get good tomato production when temperatures are more mild.”

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He goes on to say, “It’s for this reason that many experienced North Texan tomato growers plant tomatoes by seed indoors in February to get a head start! Tomato seeds started in a sunny window or in a spare room or closet with grow lights will be mature enough to be transplanted outdoors in 6-8 weeks, or about the same time the danger of the last freeze has passed. This gives those prepared folks a jump start with plants that have more time to produce—before the late spring and summer heat takes its toll.”

Here’s to a bountiful growing season for all North Texas gardeners.