Temperatures are warming up and that means many people are eager to plant gardens.
Spring is the busiest season of the year for Hanson’s Garden Village in Rhinelander. Many of the greenhouses are bursting with flowers, herbs and vegetable starts that have been nurtured since March.
Brent Hanson says it’s still too early to plant most things outside.
“So we are jam packed. Spring has been a little reluctant to show up and it’s been on the cool side, so we’re waiting for our customers to be ready for these plants. So they’re sitting in the greenhouse, where they’re nice and happy, but they also don’t stop growing”
Hansen says it is a good time to plant potatoes, onions and garlic outside, and close to the time for planting cool weather crops like peas and swiss chard. He says some people buy starts and don’t put them in the ground right away.
“They’ve got their little garden carts that they’ll roll in and out of their garage. And actually that’s a good way to come up with good, tough plants, because just the wind and the relatively cool, nonfreezing temperatures will toughen up those plants and get em used to being outside. But then you bring em in at night so they don’t actually get froze.”
Hansen says the safest course is to hold off most outdoor planting until after Memorial Day, unless you enjoy a little risk. But it may be a good idea to start tomatoes and herbs indoors while you’re waiting for warmer weather.
