Good article by Linda Blue
I recommend reading the Asheville Citizen-Times every Saturday between now and next fall.
Linda Blue is the County Extension agent for Buncombe County and appears regularly on Almanac Gardener on UNC-TV.
Her article today was timely. We get so excited about planting in the spring, that we often start too early, and spend lots of time covering our tracks. Patience is a virtue–especially in the garden.
(Check the soil temperature before starting a vegetable garden) Read more>>>
Excerpt-
If you do not have nice loose, well-drained soil in raised beds it will probably be a bit longer before you can plant. Not only does the soil not warm up as fast on flat ground, it takes longer for the soil to dry out to the point it can be safely worked. If you turn some soil with a shovel, it should break apart easily. If it stays in sticky clumps when you tap the soil ball, it will form clods if you try to till it or even turn it by hand. You will be stuck with those clods the rest of the season, so let it dry a few more days and try again.
When to plant is often one of the most challenging steps for new gardeners — especially in April when some nice weather makes us feel like spring has truly arrived.
The problem is that those warm days still are followed by cold nights. So the soil temperature is still much too cold for most of the warm-season vegetables. And in much of Buncombe County we can still have frost after the first of May. So, tempting as it is, experienced gardeners know it is best to be patient and just wait until after May 5, or when the soil temperature is above 60 degrees.