OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Reporter Molly Hudson went Indian Creek Nursery, where neighbors were picking out their spring garden favorites. With the beautiful weather, she asked what you should be doing in your garden now and what to hold off on.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's a sign of spring and warmer temperatures.
"Strawberries. People are planting a lot of strawberries right now," said Amy Mefford, assistant manager at Indian Creek Nursery. "Onions, bok choy, Swiss chard—all of these I'm okay with people putting in now because they are a cool crop."
While it was warm Sunday, it's still April in Nebraska.
"We still could get snow. Our last frost is date technically... you know, we always tell people to wait and plant until after Mother's Day," Mefford said.
Mefford says the biggest mistake she sees this time of year is planting tomatoes and peppers in the ground too early. The ground just isn't warm enough yet.
"Once it's consistently above 50 at night, on a consistent basis, not just for a week, and then we see we are going to dip down into the thirties again," she advised. "They are happy being in the greenhouses here until the ground is warm enough for them to go in, and then they are just going to explode for you."
Like many, South Omaha neighbor Lindsey Condray was shopping for her garden Sunday.
"Right now, I'm getting stuff for the vegetable garden, the cold weather crops, even though it's 80 today. So mostly things like the collard greens, lettuces, also getting some other starters that will go in a greenhouse until it's warm enough for them," Condray said.
But while we wait for the warmer temperatures that actually stick around, Mefford says it's not too early to make sure the area where you want to plant is ready to go.
"Prepping the ground is the main thing," she said. "Making sure your soil is good, adding a soil conditioner, compost."
And if you're just starting out, Mefford suggests sticking with one or two things you know you want to grow and would use.
