Spring gardening season begins, experts share tips

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Spring has finally arrived and many people are itching to get outside and start planting.

What gardeners plant and when they plant it makes a big difference in their success each year.

Frost can kill more fragile flowers and vegetables likes tomatoes and peppers. That's why the University of Illinois Extension office recommends only planting cold season vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), perennial flowers and trees/shrubs at this time.

"If we want to keep plants outside — those warm season things or take our house plants out or our annual flowers — you want to see nighttime temperatures consistently in the 50s," said horticulture educator Sarah Vogel. "So we've got a little bit to go, which is why [Mother's Day] is important."

Vogel added anyone who is desperate to get outside right now can still clear flower beds of leaf litter or put down new mulch to set their garden up for success.

For more information, contact the University of Illinois Extension.