From the Ground Up: Wait to plant tomatoes

Mother Nature can be fierce this time of year. Rain, sleet, frost and even snow are still a possibility. However, that hasn't stopped folks from attempting to get a jump on the season by planting tomatoes.

Linn County Master Gardener Jackie Hadenfeldt MacLaren recognizes the dangers of getting a head start now and has found ways to fill the time until the ground is ready. Heed her advice - or else.

Q&A

Q: What can I do while I wait to plant tomatoes?

A: These random warm days have awakened your urge to plant tomatoes. Why? Because you want to be the first in your family, or your neighborhood to have a ripe tomato. You can feel your gardening pride swell at the thought of it.

Reality check - it's too early to plant tomatoes. Remember, we could have frost any time up until around Mother's Day. But there is much to do while waiting. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

--- Test your soil. Before you start buying fertilizer or dumping soil amendments into your veggie garden, have a soil test, available for a nominal fee through the Iowa State University Extension Service. Test results will tell you how much of what kind of fertilizer you need.

--- Plant cool season crops. Indulge yourself planting cool season veggies, including potatoes, spinach, cabbage, broccoli and peas. Flower enthusiasts can plant lilies, set out pansies and sow sweet peas. Since it's been raining about every other day, make sure the soil isn't too wet to work. Here's how you tell. Pick up a handful of dirt and squeeze it in your fist. Then drop it on the ground. If your dirt clod doesn't fall apart when it hits, it is too wet to work the soil

--- Inspect your tools and hoses. I can't find my favorite hoe. Now I'll have to clean the whole garage to find it. Might as well do it while I'm waiting to plant tomatoes. Now is an excellent time to make sure your tools handles are sturdy, and blades of hoes, shovels and lawn mowers are sharp. Do you know where your gardening gloves are? Good time to stretch hoses out and inspect for leaks.

--- Make a plan. Pencil and paper (or laptop or tablet) are some of your best gardening tools. While you're watching it rain, wishing it would warm up already, take time to plot out your yard and garden. Draw in what already exists, to better see where to place new plants, add a water feature or build a trellis.

--- Prepare containers. Especially if you didn't tidy them up at the end of last season, you'll want to give all your containers a thorough checkup. Repair cracks, change or freshen the soil, give them a good scrub and refer to your garden plan to decide where to place them.

Once you get started, you'll find plenty to keep you busy until you can slide those Robust Romas, Brawny Beefsteaks and Cheerful Cherry tomatoes into the ground. Until then, I leave you with the words of legendary singer/songwriter Guy Clark - “Only two things that money can't buy. That's true love and homegrown tomatoes.”

Need more information about planting and harvesting times for garden vegetables? Download a copy of the Iowa State University Extension & Outreach's publication at Store.extension.iastate.edu/and put “PM 534” in the search box.

Events

Documentary: “Truck Farm,” noon Monday at the Iowa City Public Library, Room A, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City. Using green roof technology and heirloom seeds, filmmaker Ian Cheney plants a vegetable garden on the only land he's got: his granddad's old pickup. Once the mobile garden begins to sprout, viewers are trucked across New York to see the city's funkiest urban farms, and to find out if America's largest city can learn to feed itself.

Documentary: “Green Fire,” 7 p.m. Monday at Iowa City Public Library, Room A, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City. “Green Fire” highlights Aldo Leopold's extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement. A discussion after the film will be led by Thomas Dean, Aldo Leopold Foundation Land Ethic Leader.

“Leading Lives of Passion, Purpose, and Power: Turning Compassion Into Action” by environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill, 1 p.m. Monday at Mount Mercy University Chapel of Mercy, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE. Cedar Rapids

Gardening in Small Yards and Containers, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Marion Public Library, 1095 Sixth Ave., Marion. A small yard and several containers may be the more efficient way to garden for the busy gardener. Judy Stevens will teach techniques and share ideas.

ECO Iowa City: Reducing Wasted Food, 7 p.m. Wednesday at East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd., Iowa City. Join ECO Iowa, Table to Table's Bob Andrlik and New Pioneer's Soil Mate coordinator Scott Keopke to learn how to reduce food waste and how to compost it once it's no longer edible.

Backyard Abundance Plant Sale, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Robert E. Lee Community Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City. Plants, free expert advice and educational vendors.