When Can You Plant And Transplant?

 

(My Morning Glories last year.)

It's Spring and we're all anxious to get outside and get ta' plantin'! 

We had some summer-like weather in early April, which always seems to happen, and it fools us into believing Winter is long gone. 

Everyone starts looking at annuals and even vegetables that are already popping up at garden centers. 

The old timers always said, don't put anything "tender" out until after mother's day. 

As usual, they are right!

Missouri, and well, all over the world it seems, is getting such unpredictable and weird weather that it makes growing even more of a challenge.

So, if you've started your seed for garden vegetables, cold weather crops like lettuce and seed potatoes are fine to go ahead and put out. 

Anything like tomatoes or tender annuals like petunias, hold up till mother's day! You can start hardening them off though on sunny warm days, by taking them outside and gradually giving them some sun. 

Trees and Shrubs 

Here in zone 6b, anytime from late Fall through April, you can dig and transplant shrubs and trees. As long as the ground is workable, you're good to go. It's the best time to do it actually, when the hot sun isn't stressing and scorching things. 

They have time to get established and healthy before Summer arrives. 

Pot Grown Trees and Shrubs

Pot grown plants can be planted most any time of year. It will always be a little more work if done in summer, and you'll really have to baby some things and water consistently. 

The reason this is possible, is because you aren't cutting and disturbing the root system as when things are chopped and dug from the ground.

The plant has grown it's entire life in the pot, so you won't lose important roots. 

It is important though, to disturb the roots a little if they are very tight and almost choking themselves(potbound). Some things like pot grown Hollies are bad for that.

And if done in winter, most things are dormant and sleeping, so they'll wake up in their new home and grow on fine.

I hope this helpful, and if you have questions, message me and I'll do my best to help. If I can't,

I'll send you to someone who can lol! 

Cheryl