Soil temp: 57
Northern Nevada lore says to plant warm weather crops when the snow is off Peavine or after June 10th, so we started hardening off our starts a couple of days ago. We'll be hoping for optimal conditions but will likely plant everything under less than ideal conditions. The weather this year is completely whacked!
Seeds went into paper pots between April 12th-14th. Next year I might start a week or two later because the plants are really big. Some sources say squash, melons, and cucumbers prefer to start from seed sown directly into the soil but the Northern Nevada growing season is short already, 90-days, and my yard is a week to 10 days shorter on each end. Transplants are the only way to get around this so I take my chances.
Eggplant - soil temps at least 60 degrees; protect from everything (wind, temperature extremes, pests) because anything throws them into shock.
Melon - soil temps at least 60. We prepared a melon bed in November -- hope it's ready because the melons are going in it no matter what.
Squash (summer and winter) - soil temps at least 60 degrees; first round of planting will be starts, but we'll plant seeds at the same time just in case the pests get these. Last year we had squash bugs by July 23rd so this year we'll cover them with agricultural fabric (Agribon from Peaceful Valley) at planting.
Tomatillo and Ground Cherry - my two favorite sources don't have any advice for these but I know that last year they turned into slimy black masses at the first sign of frost, so I'll treat them like peppers.
Bush bean - started in pots but don't try this with pole beans; ours have pale purple flowers already. They're got sunburned the other day so I hope they'll survive. We'll plant seeds along with the starts to prolong the harvest.
Now all we need is sunshine!
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