Okieken,

POTATOES: Well, I'm at the opposite end of the state from you, but I don't think it is too late to plant potatoes this week. Will your yield likely be a little less than it would have been if you'd planted earlier? Yes. However, it would still be worth it. You might want to plant your seed potatoes about 9" to 12" apart instead of the usual 12" to 18" apart. Why? Since they're being planted a bit late, the plants probably won't be as big at the time tuber initiation begins. Thus, they won't need as much room in between plants. Also, by planting closer together, you'll essentially have more plants per square foot and will get a higher overall yield per square foot. If, by chance, the weather stays cooler than usual longer than usual this spring, you still may get a great yield. There's just so many variable. I planted late in 2002, but we had a really mild, cool (almost cold) May here in southern Oklahoma and I had a great crop. With our weather, you just never know. If you can't get potatoes in the ground by the end of this week, though, I'd say any later than that might be too late. Perhaps someone who gardens in northeastern Oklahoma can give you advice better tailored to your specific part of the state. For next year, plan to plant your potatoes about 4 weeks prior to your last anticipated frost, or sometime between mid-February in southernmost Oklahoma to mid-March in northernmost Oklahoma.

Potato plants generallly grow and produce best here during the spring days when daytime highs stay between roughly 60 or 65 to 75 degrees and nighttime lows are between 45 to 55 degrees. Well, I think we have weeks and weeks of weather left in that range....more so in the northern part of the state where you live than down south where I live. Even more importantly, tuber initiation continues for some time after that--until the high temperatures begin to regularly exceed 85 degrees, which is months away still.
You can even get some initiation of new tubers after daytime highs are exceeding 85 degrees, but potatoes set at those temperatures will be smaller and perhaps a little lower in quality.

TOMATOES: As for the tomatoes, if you are growing them inside under lights, they will be a plantable size by about the last week in April or the first week in May, assuming they sprout pretty quickly. If you can get them out into the sunlight and heat for a few hours a day as they grow, they'll reach a plantable size even more quickly.

Honestly, tomato plants that are planted in cold soil grow so slowly....and, when you plant them later, they are going into warmer soil and grow more quickly. Thus, I am not sure that plants planted a few weeks late are going to be a problem.

If you look at your plants three weeks from now and say to yourself that there is "no way" they will be big enough to plant any time soon, then go ahead and buy a six-pack of your favorite variety or two.

I don't like to put tomato plants into the ground until soil temps are regularly exceeding 55 degrees, and 60 degrees is even better. Here in southern Oklahoma our soil temps are still in the 50s and haven't even hit the 60s yet despite some 80 degree days. (The nights are running a little cold still.) Up there in northern Oklahoma, your soil temperatures run a bit colder than ours for a while in the spring, so it is still kinda early to transplant tomatoes, unless you want to put a couple into the ground with Wall-O-Water protection just to see if you can push them into quicker growth and protection.

We usually have an Oklahoma Gardening Forum spring plant swap in mid to late-April and I am sure that, if there is a swap this year, some of us who raise our own tomatoes will bring our excess plants. I always have about a million extra tomato plants to share.

Hope this info helps.

Dawn

Thank you Dawn, very helpful. I will give it a shot with the spuds, I can deal with lower yields. I really dropped the ball this year. Last year this time I had 30 2ft Tomato plants ready to go outside. Right now my sprouts are just under a floro but they will be put under a small metal halide soon. Hopefully these will look nice before its time to go outside.

I guess I need to get busy with grass removal......arrrgh no fun.

Ken,

You poor thing.....grass removal is one of my absolute least favorite chores!

I don't think you dropped the ball...obviously you have been busy moving to a new place and getting settled in and that is a HUGE disruption. It's all good, and it all will work out fine. Some of my best garden years have been the ones I was late, running behind, breaking "rules" etc.

Dawn