T. S. ELLIOT said that April is the cruelest month, but for apple growers this year, May was. Early this month temperatures got down into the midtwenties, and the apple blossoms – early this year due to the high temperatures in April – got badly frosted. Some orchardists are already predicting a 99% loss of fruit. That will affect us, the home gardeners, too. Fortunately, I don’t depend on my apple harvest for my livelihood.

Some of my perennial flowers got damaged by those frosts, which is unusual. Most perennials are hardy enough to shrug off a little frost. The early bloomers like daffodils and primroses are largely immune to temperatures in the low twenties. But hard frost killed leaves out on my umbrella plant (Astillboides tabularis) and those on my giant fleece flower (Persicaria polymorpha). Unlike the apples, no serious harm is done – new leaves are already starting to grow.

Hardening Off It is still early and despite many hot days, I predict more frost here in my cold Zone 4 garden. I have spinach, peas, radicchio, onions and shallots outdoors in the garden, and I don’t worry about them. Some hardy plants – Brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale - are not ready for hard frosts, even though in the fall they can take serious frost. But young plants – like young people - are not as tough as old ones. I heard of a grower in Vermont who recently lost 400 Brussels sprouts to a hard frost. So I shall cover mine if frost is predicted.

Hardening off is a process that is not taken seriously enough by many gardeners. Young plants can be sunburned, wind burned or damaged by cold temperatures. Having been raised in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, plants have leaves that are not as tough as they would have if grown outside; they are tender and easily damaged. So you must introduce your plants to the sun and outdoors the way you would introduce a Danish lad to the equatorial sun. If you do not harden off your plants, they might not thrive for a few weeks.

On nice days I take my seedlings for a walk. Not far, mind you, but out into the direct sunshine for a few hours. Morning sun is the gentlest of the day, so I start the hardening off process on a north facing deck that gets no afternoon sun, and that has some protection from stiff breezes. If rain is forecast I leave them inside as a hard rain can easily beat down plants that have not developed strong stems indoors. Later they get afternoon sun, finally all day sun.

So when should you plant tomatoes and other frost sensitive plants? I say not until June. I know that traditionally people plant them Memorial Day weekend, but I don’t see the advantage. I believe that my plants will catch up to those planted earlier. And after weeks – nay, months – of coddling my tomatoes and peppers, I don’t want to shock them in cold soil or take a chance with a late frost.

If your plants are a bit long and leggy, as is often the case for those started indoors, give them as much direct sunshine now as you can. But come planting time, tomatoes and broccoli can be planted deeply so that weak stems can are buried and turned into extra roots. I often plant tall tomatoes sideways with just the top leaves showing – after I pinch off the lower leaves.

That urge to plant need not be ignored now. This is a good time to plant seeds of the following plants: beets, carrots, chard, greens, lettuce, onions (seedlings or sets), peas, potatoes (chunks), radishes, rutabagas, and spinach.

All the vine crops (cukes, squashes) are quite frost sensitive, so I don’t plant them outside yet. In fact, I like to plant vine crops indoors a month before last frost in 3-4 inch pots so that they have several leaves when planted. That makes them less susceptible to defoliation by striped cucumber beetles, which are common in my garden. Beans are also quite easily frost damaged, and I have not planted mine yet, either.

If your beets and chard up and growing, you can thin them now. The “seeds” you planted are actually seed capsules (think of them like apples with several seeds inside each capsule). So no matter how carefully you spaced out your beets and chard, they will need thinning. And they compete with each other just as much as they do with weeds. Some folks wait until their greens are big enough to eat before thinning, but I find thinning early is better.

My perennial vegetables are up: asparagus, rhubarb and two less common greens: sorrel and Good King Henry. Sorrel has a lemon-like flavor; I favor using it in salads, as the leaves are thin and don’t amount to much when cooked. Good King Henry is made of tougher stuff and can be steamed or sautéed.

I really want to get my teeth into vine-ripened tomatoes as soon as possible but I generally don’t plant tomatoes until June 10 … although this year I may plant a wee bit earlier. I can always cover them up if Jack Frost looms on the horizon.

Spring planting is a dance of sorts, lugging seedlings in and out of the house, or covering and uncovering. I’m ready for summer!

Henry Homeyer the author of 3 gardening books living in Cornish Flat, NH. You may reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.