For transplanting where it will grow, right? Not starting as from seed?

It is your soil temps that will determine any early growth, not the air temps so measuring your soil temp would be the ideal guide as to when to transplant. Otherwise there is an element of guess work about when to do it and if the soil is too cold the plant just sits there waiting for the soil to warm.

Many pre-warm their soil well before transplanting to encourage early growth but that requires weeks of pre-planning.

So assuming it is past your last frost date and if you are prepared to cover/protect the plants should a late frost develop that isn't in the forecast, then there is no reason you can't go ahead and transplant it.

Dave

Yes Dave, these will be transplants.

Without a frost, is the only downside to planting before the soil is warm enough, that I just won't have growth until it warms? Thanks

"Without a frost, is the only downside to planting before the soil is warm enough, that I just won't have growth until it warms? Thanks"

As long as it doesn't take long for the soil to warm up, yes. I mean they can't just sit there for 2-3 weeks without damage but a few days isn't going to hurt them. Next year give some thought to pre-warming your soil as antipodean and I suggested.

But it may be warm enough already. Just no way to know without measuring it.

Dave

Thank you both.

If I plan to wait again until May 15th this year, as I did last year, is there any advantage to warming the soil over the next 10 days? Can i use a black trash bag and place it on top of the sections where I will plant tomatoes? Not sure it will offer much help at this point in the spring, but it can't hurt....right?

Talking about using black plastic to warm the soil, I just tried the first time the other day. After about 4-5 days, I uncover the plastic and found some mold growing. Did I do something wrong or it is normal? Last week was pretty cold and a few showers in between. Thanks.

Maybe, you can always buy a cheap garden thermometer and see whether it makes s difference, should only cost a few $.

"The coldest night is 48 and average night the next 10 days is about 54." I

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That is safe bet. I would jump right in. ... On the soil temps:

If you have a kitchen thermometer you can check the soil temperature .
48F+ will do. Probably your soil temperature is higher than that.

In my case, I covered my raised beds w/ black plastic , early Feb . By early April the soil temperature at ~ 6" depth was close to 50F. Then started planting out. The air temperatures were in 43F to 58( +/- 3) F range. Occasionally highs got to 70s (unusual). After planting I watered them with lukewarm water (~65-75F)

BTW: I jumped in right on our LFD (April 5th). But 15 days forecast looked ok. And even if there would have been surprises, I was ready to protect my plants.

Sey

Thank you Sey,

if my soil is 48+, then I'm good to transplant? Do I have that right?

FWIW, if you cultivate the bed heavily, it will help it warm. Get the air (which is a lot warmer than the soil) under and around the soil. Turn it a few times before planting and, of course, use a thermometer to chart your progress. Just fluffing the soil up will encourage air exchange. I don't think a black trash bag will do much. It will insulate the soil from the air, keeping the soil cool, and the trash bag is not a lot darker than the soil itself, so it won't be particularly helpful in warming it up.

Dan, the raised bed in question is actually a new raised bed which I put together with a mixture of compost (from bags) and topsoil from a trusted local place. This bed was constructed just this week. Does that scenario lend itself to the air circulation which you spoke about?

Thank you

You know you can pick up a cheap bulb/tube type thermometer at Walmart for $3 so why over-complicate the whole process? It is easy to get caught up in the confusion of tiny little details and mess up the whole thing.

May 15 is a common plant out date for many even in zone 5 so in your zone 6 I think you'll find most have already transplanted their tomatoes or are in the process of doing so.

Dave

If your bed was just filled this last week, then the soil is pretty fluffed up and uncompacted. That should make it easier for the air to circulate in it and warm it up. But I'd still turn the soil over a few times just to better aerate it.