This year is a warm one so far and it’s hard not to succumb to the lure of the seed catalogs and rush out and plant everything. Unfortunately this may lead to a lot of rotten seed in the ground and a need to replant. To avoid this disappointment it’s important to read the package and see at what soil temperature your seeds are most likely to germinate.
To get a ball park figure for what your soil temperature is you can check out the AgWeatherNet site. To find out what your garden soil temp is the best way is to use a soil thermometer.
To warm your soil up you can cover with a plastic cloche or use black plastic. While these methods will give you a little head start things seem to even out over time.
Is the Is this the AVERAGE Daily soil temperature or the LOWEST Daily soil temperature?
It’s the lowest here’s more information: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/143.html.