As the weather gets warmer and we say goodbye to winter, a lot of folks in Northwest Georgia get the itch to start their gardens.  While there are some cool-weather plants like potatoes and cabbage that can be set out early, it is probably a bit too early to think about other crops.

The forecast for this week is calling for night-time temperatures in the upper twenties to low thirties and there is a good chance of widespread frost which can damage tender vegetation.  But the chance of frost isn’t the only reason why it is probably still too early for most garden plants.

The Chattooga County Extension Office posted this week, “As warmer days approach, we are so anxious to get our gardens going! Keep in mind that the soil needs to consistently be between 65 and 70 degrees F to achieve germination for most of the seeds we will be planting.”

Don’t know what the soil temperature is?  Well, UGA Extension has a handy online tool that can give you that information.  The UGA Weather Network gives up-to-the-minute information about weather conditions and soil temperature.

You can access the page HERE