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When to Start Your Vegetable Garden: Safely Planting Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Beans After Easter

A fellow gardener asks: "Hi Daniel, can I start a vegetable garden now? After Easter, are we still worried about frosts? Tomato and zucchini plants are available at the market, and I bought beans for sowing."

With no rain in sight, zucchini, tomatoes, and beans are warm-season crops. Plant them only once soil temperatures hit 10°C—typically next month in pleasant May, unless you have a greenhouse or hoop house tunnel.

Right now, plant lettuces and sow radishes. Watch for chilly nights, though. A row cover can protect tender seedlings and spare hasty gardeners from replanting.

When to Start Your Vegetable Garden: Safely Planting Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Beans After Easter