What do you guys think? I looked on weather.com and it looks pretty safe to me. But a couple years ago we had that late freeze in March that killed all my tomato seedlings and I had to buy some.
I think we're safe.
What do you think?
No More Freezes?
I was thinking I'm safe here in Tucson but then a friend called from Vermont because a blizzard interrupted their plans for the day. I found a site once (apparently not today) that gave averages for different areas of the US. If I remember correctly, it gave a date in March that would "probably" be safe for me.
I can't find *my* site but I found:
"While many other parts of the world witness temperature changes, Texas has more rapid, severe changes in temperature, and later in the spring. Cold spells in late February through mid-March are capable of damaging the trees and ruining the promise of a good crop of olives." From http://www.countryworldnews.com/Editorial/SCTX/2003/sc0320olives.htm which also says March 15th is your "probably" date.
Not-from-Texas-just-waving-howdy,
Jen
Here is a site for you
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homeguide/frostspring.html
In my area they say we are safe! Yippee!
Well, I'm only about 30-40 miles away from you, so if you are safe, I am safe.
IT'S ON!!!
Dallas is saying March 15th around here and there is not any bad weather on the way so far . . . so i planted today most of my seeds and seedlings. . . If all else fails I will cover them up if I have too.
We have another month here, but I am putting out some hardy plants tomorrow, and protected tomatoes later in the week. Cross my fingers too!!!
I looked on weather.com at the 10-day forcast and it all looks good.
Keep those finger crossed - we have not had a frezze in four weeks, I have been dying to plant and just went for it. Now to cross my figers and my toes.
Don't forget your eyeballs.
I am holding out on annuals until at least next weekend. :-)
Terrie
I live in the Hill Country out of Kerrville, TX and I already have tomato plants in Frost Cages and radishes are coming up and peas. I may have to cover them.
I had impatients till Christmas Eve and then we had a hard freeze.
Beautiful impatients txsdar, and what a cute little dog! :)
I spent 6 hours outside yesterday, and while I was working my black-eyed susan vine collection from Parks showed up. 4 varieties in all and I planted a few of each kind. I uncovered all my winter-sowed containers and set them out in the yard, and started hardening off all my stuff I started indoors. So next weekend all of that is getting planted. I spent the day widening the beds on one side of my house and weeding, weeding, weeding and more weeding! I also sprayed my lawn for weeds (of course) and clover. I did plant the 6 items I got at the garden show- 3 went in one hanging basket so I guess if it gets nasty I can bring it in. But next weekend I will bite the bullet and get all my seedlings in the ground and just hope to God it doesn't freeze again! Surely not... right? LOL!
Jamie
Tomorrow I play in the dirt..................yippee!!!
"eyes"
It's 94 here today, I think we're safe, lol. (but one never knows, look what happened Christmas day)
Hey TusconJen,
Thanks for stopping by and bringing that article with you! Come back often!
Well, I took my chances and did some planting this weekend. I put Begonia, Geranium, Alyssum, and Coleus in the pots by my front door because they have been empty for a while. I planted about 10 perennials pots that I had bought in the last couple weeks. I am going to hold off pulling up the pansies and kale for as long as possible though. I want to replace those with periwinkle anyway and that won't be in for another month or so. We did major spring cleaning to the yard, spending at least 10 hours out there this weekend and I am exhausted.
my veggies go out in the morning - keep them all crossed.
Beautiful picture, Txsdar! Would love to see a picture of the front of your house with that porch. :-)
Jamie, you may aready know about this neat little tool, and I hope you had it to do your weeding this weekend. My son-in-law told me about it last week and I ran out and bought one. The best $20 I've ever spent!! It's called a Weed Hound and I got mine at Home Depot. It actually makes weeding fun!
Terrie, I have heard of that but don't have one. Most of my weeding was the grass and weeds right next to and between bulbs and dormant (and not so dormant) perinneals. So I had to pull them by hand. But I DO have areas where that Weed Hound would be handy- if I use it as much as my other gadget "the Claw" then it will be put to good use!
Explain "Weed Hound," Terrie. Got a pic? :-)
Btw, we had a light freeze this morning in Gordonvile!
John
http://www.hound-dog.com/weed_hound.htm.......is it really any good?
"eyes"
Thanks, eyes!
The product I have is the one to the far left in the picture. It works like a charm!
Gets the weeds with a tap root, eh? Cool.
Well that weed stuff I sprayed on my lawn didn't get the big daddy weeds so I need to get one of those for the lawn at least! I use this thing in my beds, not sure what it's called but Paul James had one so I got one. Anyway, it has a flat (lays horizontal) blade type thing and it slices through small seedlings just at the surface... so you don't brutalize your plants' roots!
*sigh*
Were you warmer than me last night? We froze. My brand spanking new plants - which I dutifully covered - look offended. I knew if was chance-y trying to plant this early but this is my spring break and my only good time for my Big Planting Project.
The ones (uh, 54 ones) in the ground I'm not so worried about but the ones (44 - am I crazy?) waiting to be planted may have suffered. I'm thinking that since they dry out so much faster in pots that they'd also get colder than the ones in the ground. How's my logic? I guess I'll find out!
Hope you Texans were freeze-free... and that you stay that way!
Jen
Sorry to hear about your plants Jen. We were good last night, but I don't know if we will be so lucky tonight. They are saying lows of 31-35 in the Dallas area tonight. I am on the northern egde so I will be covering my new annuals. John, eyes, and Ted are about 100 miles north of Dallas so they will more definitely be getting a freeze. Hopefully, it will be quick and the last one.
I will be ok. There is nothing out there that can't take a light freeze. When planting this time of year I always ask myself "can I accept the loss of this plant to frost?" and plant accordingly. Many plants can take a little frost.
John
I just checked my forecast, supposed to be 42 tonight! Gee whiz, what happened to spring, it was in the mid 70's yesterday, gonna be 80 again on Friday.
What happened to spring? It's not freezing, but with this stiff wind, it sure feels like it. I have a bunch of starter plants in small pots and I don't want to drag them all back into the greenhouse. I guess I'll have to throw a blanket over them tonight.
BettyDee
Keep in mind that official temps are taken at 5 ft above the surface. That means that even though the official temp might be 36F (above freezing) the temp at the surface could be 32. Thats why we often see frost on the grass even when the thermometer says its above freezing! Cover your tender plants when the forcast is for the mid thirties.
John
I left my stuff out and they actually look happier! Especially my tomotoes. What's up with that?
I was really worried about my peppers but they are happy, too!
I was told once to take a cold shower. Thought it might work so I did. Didn't make me happy!
I was going to ask, but saw this thread....so is it ok to plant?! I had heard that the 17th was our last frost date. Just a few nights ago it got pretty low (not sure how low) and saw today that the tops of some of my cannas and my Mexican Bush sage (gggrrr) got bit. My Althea blooms are ok tho. A few years ago a late freeze killed them and it was months before it ever recovered. I'm ready to put some babies outside!