Last frost dates vary by region

By Audrey Post
MS. GROW-IT-ALL®

Q: I’m planning to plant a vegetable garden this year, and everything I’ve read, including the seed packets, says to wait to plant until after the danger of frost. When is the last frost in Florida’s Big Bend? How can I know when it’s safe to plant?

A: The last frost in the eastern Panhandle/Big Bend region of Florida is usually the third week in March. The easiest way to remember is to connect it in your mind with the first day of spring -- March 20. But as with all other gardening things, particularly in this region, that’s just a date on a calendar and you have to be ready to adjust planting plans.

Cautious gardeners in the Tallahassee area used to wait until April 1, but the Easter freeze in mid-April two years ago surprised all of us. That freeze was much later than normal, but the lesson here is that we can’t accurately predict the weather. It’s always an educated guess.

If you plan to sow your seeds for summer vegetables directly into the ground, you need to wait until after the last frost for two reasons: first, to prevent frost from killing the plant, obviously; but second, and perhaps more importantly, seeds won’t germinate in soil that’s too cold for that particular plant. Seeds planted in too-cold soil either lie there waiting for the soil to warm enough, or they rot before the soil warms. That’s why many people choose to start their seedlings indoors.

The seed packets tell you to start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date, so they should be ready to transplant to the garden in late March if you start them indoors the last two weeks in January. The farther north you go, the later the date of the last frost, so adjust your planting schedule accordingly.

If we’re having a cold snap when your projected planting date arrives, just wait. Most seedlings can stay in their little starter pots another week or so. If they’re really bursting out of them, transplant them to slightly larger pots. The 3- and 4- inch pots that annuals come in are good for that purpose.

A week or so before you plan to transplant your seedlings into the garden, move them outside to begin acclimating to spring weather. The first couple of days, bring them back inside at night. Then leave them in a protected location at night for several days. Try to transplant them on a cloudy or overcast day. If you have to plant when it’s sunny, provide some shade the first day or two they’re in the ground.

Remember that some vegetables prefer cooler temperatures and can be planted now, as long as you protect them from a hard freeze. Local nurseries have seedlings of lettuces, spinach, cabbage, broccoli and other cool-season vegetables available. Carrots, peas and radishes can be sown in the garden now.