Use Weather App on Your Phone

Q. Why use a weather app? I have planted tomatoes at the same time every year and they have done well.

Weather app for Henderson, Nevada

A. You were lucky. Sometimes warm season plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are planted as early as mid-February. Other times the weather stays cold until mid-March. Using a weather app on your phone helps predict the weather two or three weeks ahead.

            Warm season crops like tomatoes prefer growing in warmer air and soil temperatures than winter or cool season crops. Having two raised beds, one in full sun and one in seasonal shade, can add about one month to your growing season. But there are other tricks you can use as well. Look at your phone’s weather app. Covering the prepared soil with clear plastic a week before the weather starts to warm up helps get an early jump on warm crops like tomatoes.