Mainiac Newbie, take 2

[AnnaK]

So, given the unseasonably warm weather we have been having, is it safe to start anything earlier this year? For example, could I safely start the peas? What about morning glories? I would LOVE to give them an early start this year and ahve those big beautiful blooms even longer!

 

[sparkles2307]

From MN

 

[digitS']

AnnaK, I am reluctant to risk getting into this subject again given the conversation around here the other day . . .

Let me just offer a couple ideas that do not make use of calendar dates:

"Is it time to plant vegetables? Ask your soil thermometer" Oregon State University (by the way, you can buy that thermometer at Territorial Seed Co but I just use a regular old outdoor thermometer & leave the shovel stuck in the ground there for a few minutes so that I don't lose the thermometer in the dirt.)

"Examples of phenological correlations include: Plant peas when forsythia blooms." University of Wisconsin Horticulture (traditional)

Since you probably have somewhat similar forest and landscaping plants around as in my part of the world, I'll tell you what I've been doing for about the last 40 years. I sow the first planting of pea seed when the Oregon Grape flowers first begin to open. So often, the rain just won't stop during the time the forsythia is blooming so, there's no :coolsun.

Steve