Hi, I'm in the Tucson, AZ, area and today, 01/11/04 I planted potatoes. Anybody have experience planting so early? We have frost once in a while, but a deep, extended frost is quite rare. I mulched heavily with straw!
Also planted beets, spinach, lettuce and sweet peas.
Daring I am, I might say!
Mike
I live in a totally different climate and it's silly for me to reply. Here I go anyway. I suspect you have done a good thing. It takes a little while for potatoes to get above ground. Once they do, they might freeze, but there will be more sprouts that can grow later if needed. Everything that you planted can survive a little frost and grows best in cool weather. If you are going to grow these things, an early start is worth a try, and might be the only way to go.
Steve in the Adirondacks where we got above zero today for the first time since Wednesday.
Michael P Gabriel wrote:
Despite what books say, potatoes take light frosts, specially if mulched heavily. I used to live in Zone 8, but now I live in Zone 5.5 and I plant potatoes, usually, in early April, 5 weeks before last frost. They come out, and regularly take a frost or two without blinking.
all right. Specially the peas and the spinach, in Tucson, the earlier the better.
not really. Yesterday I harvested some radicchio under my tunnels, which had taken 0F 2 nights earlier.
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