CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — With March over, gardeners are starting to think about putting their plants in the ground. Depending on the plant and where in West Virginia you are planting, if you’re too early, the frost could kill them off.
According to the WVU Extension Service, gardeners can already begin planting cool season crops in West Virginia, like cabbage, carrots, broccoli, kale and spinach, because they can survive a frost. But for warm crops like cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, squash, potatoes and even watermelons, growers should wait until after the estimated final frost date in their area.
West Virginia has three planting zones that determine when you should plant your garden. Most of north central West Virginia is in Zone A, meaning that planting warm season plants should be after May 10, but in some lower-elevation areas, like parts of Taylor, Barbour, Lewis and Upshur counties as well as parts of Harrison County, planting can start after April 30.
Most plants can be planted indoors as seeds and then be moved outside to the garden after the last frost date, but WVU Extension says that beets, carrots, cucumber, beans, lettuce, peas, radish, squash and turnips are exceptions and should be planted directly into the ground.
Specific dates for planting more than 40 West Virginia crops—both cool and warm seasons—can be found on the WVU Extension website.
Source : WBOY
