Even though I don’t grow tomatoes I know a gardening rule of thumb from 40 years ago: “Don’t plant tomatoes outdoors in Pittsburgh until Memorial Day.”
But times have changed. Our growing season is longer than it used to be. USDA’s 2012 Plant Hardiness Zone map has a warm stripe that follows the Monongahela and Ohio valleys.
Neighborhood gardening friends know it, too. They told me, “You can plant tomatoes in mid-May if you want.”
Well, believe it or not I’m not a gardener. When the growing season arrives I spend all my time birding. Around Memorial Day (today) I glance at the garden and think, “Something must be done!” I go out there with my Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide and identify what’s growing. I pull out only the noxious weeds and leave everything else in place. At least I know king devil when I see it.
Today isn’t tomato planting day at my house, but I might pull a weed or two.
(photo from Wikimedia Commons, map from USDA. Click on the captions to see the originals)
If you know enough people who plant them, you don’t need to.