Can tomatoes, courgettes, etc. be planted before the Ice Saints?

So firstly, we say Saints de Glace and not Saintes Glaces as I can read on many Facebook groups and forums. Why Ice Saints? Because traditionally the Saints de Glace mark the end of the frost period to which many plants are sensitive, including tomatoes, aubergines, beans and squash of all kinds. There are three Saints de Glace (Mamer, Pancrace and Servais) and they take place from 11 to 13 May. After this period, you should therefore in principle avoid any risk of frost, which could be a severe loss in your vegetable garden for plants that are sensitive to it. Minute butterfly, that's in theory!

As you can see in the "My Vegetable Garden" section on Permapotes, there are several climate zones in France, Belgium... and many differences all over the world. So, depending on the altitude and the region you're in, you may have to wait less time or much longer to plant certain vegetables outdoors, at the risk of seeing them roasted by frost. In the Mediterranean region, for example, many gardeners plant sensitive plants at the beginning of May, whereas in Alsace, they often wait until the end of May or even the beginning of June, depending on the altitude. In the mountains, it's much later still.

But how do you find your way around? Well, I can already only advise you to refer to your personalised calendar on Permapotes, which you can now print out or download, by the way. Remember to select the vegetables you want to grow and your climate zone. That way you'll know when to plant your tomatoes, melons or courgettes in the ground, depending on your region. Simple and practical, isn't it? But I must admit that there's nothing to stop you starting earlier, as long as you take a few precautions!

My method for planting before the Ice Saints!

Well, as the saying goes: don't put all your eggs in one basket! I'm not talking about my chicken coop, which will be the subject of a later article, but about your seedlings. If you decide to plant your solanaceous and other gelatinous cucurbits outdoors before the recommended period, take your precautions. In any case, I wait until at least the third week of April before transplanting my plants outdoors in the open ground, and not before mid-April in the greenhouse. Here's the method I use and it works wonders for me.

1. Check the 15-day weather forecast

Although weather forecasts are not an exact science, they still reflect reality fairly well. Numerous weather sites allow you to consult the 15-day weather forecast. I personally use La Chaine Météo. If a temperature of less than 2 degrees is forecast in my region over the next fortnight, I refrain from putting my plants in the ground to minimise the risks. I'd rather wait out the cold snap. According to some statistics I've read on specialist weather sites, this cold snap arrives late on average one year out of three.

2. Keep plants in reserve, nice and warm

Keep a sufficient number of plants warm that you'll use when needed. You may need them to replace those that might have burnt out due to a late cold snap. Do you think that planting too many seedlings is a waste, as you'll be throwing the surplus in the compost? Well, think again! One of the fundamental tasks of a gardener is to select the most vigorous plants. As for me, I love tomatoes and so does my little family, so I want to put 26 plants in my vegetable garden this year. So I've sown three times as many seeds (18 different varieties)... Once they've sprouted, I start putting the strongest plants in the ground first. The other plants don't have to be thrown in the compost, as you could very well please friends, neighbours or family members who have a vegetable garden or want to start one. Note that there are also local initiatives where you can exchange plants and meet other enthusiasts.

3. Protect the soil with a good, thick mulch

Not leaving soil bare is one of the most important things about growing on living soil, one of the foundations of permaculture. That you already knew, but there's another advantage too: a thick mulch of around ten centimetres, made up for example of dead leaves, straw and dried grass clippings provides an excellent barrier against the cold. In practice, temperatures below 5 degrees can affect the roots of tomato plants, but a good mulch will allow the soil to retain some warmth, especially as daytime temperatures are generally quite high at this time of year. A little advice in passing, space the mulch two or three centimetres apart from the plants to avoid any risk of rotting, especially if you have placed fresh clippings, even in a small layer.

4. Winter is coming... back !

Sorry first and foremost for that screwed-up Game of Thrones reference but the series is somewhat permeating me especially at the moment! Despite all your precautions, a cold snap is coming you're worried about losing all your seedlings transplanted outside a few days earlier? Then all is not lost! You can, for example, protect your plants with old sheets, newspaper, geotextile film or bubble wrap (I know, it's not very perma!), place bricks around the perimeter to store heat during the day and release it a little at night, or any other accessory that could help your plants gain a few precious degrees. Another radical solution, especially if you've forgotten to keep other plants in reserve: dig them up and put them back in pots, nice and warm, until the good weather comes back...