LAST FROST DATE ?

I'm just wondering what the last expected frost date is
in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area ?

not soon enough...........

Ann

That's just funny... wrong zones to even be asking that question, but it just tickles me for some reason.

Ann, I like your kind of science, LOL.

Anita

I think it is between March 15th and 30th, although it can freeze a lot later than that, we had snow on Easter Sunday a few years back.
Josephine.

Thanks, Josephine. I will consider yours the
definitive answer, LOL.

March 15th is the official date for Dallas Co. via the state... or so says the garden group I work with.

Hi, Mitch. Thank you. Hope you're keeping warm.
The radio just announced another Storm Watch for
this weekend. What a nasty bunch those weathermen are :-

Last expected frost date; I can't remember where I got this.

Thank you for the map Dawn, I guess we right on the edge of two different zones, but I always like to say
Better Safe than Sorry.

this map puts me at march 16th... I have been known to plant in feb before.

Mahnot, are you planting veggies this year? Or something else that can only be planted after the last frost? Inquiring minds want to know. lol

Thanks for the map, Dawn.

I have no idea of exactly what I'm planting yet as I have to prepare
the beds first. I want to do some raised bed and also have a lot
of things already growing in pots - all are flowers. I was just wondering
about the date of the last frost because I only know that back in Chicago,
it's considered to be Memorial Day, and I knew it had to be a lot
earlier in Texas.

Thanks for that cool map Dawn. March 1 for Austin. My DH has been screwing me up telling me it is April 15. ugh. My first year gardening I listened to him and planted out after April 15 and had a terrible tomato crop due to the heat that set in May 1. The next year I planted out April 1 and had better crop, but I thought that I could still plant out earlier. So I am targeting March 1-4 around there.

Thanks again...thawing out in Austin finally!
Michelle

The map shows the last "expected" frost date, but we all know here in Texas that doesn't count for much. Many years we don't see any frost past February. Then there was the time a few years back when we got a hard frost/freeze in April! It ruined all of my blackberries that year. : (

If you set out plants early be prepared to cover them.
We have had snow here in Arlington as late as Easter Sunday, yes it was a freak thing, but it can happen.
Josephine.

Ah yes, I will cover them if there is some freak frost late. I have wall o' waters. I can also use cut out milk jugs. The latest we have had a frost was Easter 2 years ago...i think. we also have to be careful of the spring rains. Last year, it rained so much in a 2 day period that my backyard became a lake and then all the rain ran like a river and cut right thru my peppers, herbs and tomatoes. My herbs and peppers were submerged for several hours. I can't believe they made it thru all that.

Michelle

The dogs just woke me up 'cause they had to go out
but when they stepped out into the rain , they both turned
right around and tried to come back in. Had to get my umbrella
and go out there with them. If they wake me up, they're going !!!

The yard is starting to fill up with standing puddles of water
and the ground just can't soak up any more. I have clay paw prints
everywhere in the house and I'm getting tired of washing the white
floors. This used to be my daughter's house and I warned her
not to put in white linoleum. Who ever heard of anybody listening
to their mother anyway ?

Gosh, I've heard several predictions that this summer will be hotter
than last year's. When you've had a really rainy and cold winter
down here, does the Spring come earlier than usual ? I've had at
least a dozen Robins visiting the yard for the past 2 weeks.
Do they know something that we don't ?

I have about 100 pots of plants sitting out there and have no
experience with overwintering plants in pots in Texas. What I'm
wondering is will daylilies, hosta and plumeria rot from all this rain?
My plan is to make a Lasagna Garden. I wanted to do it last summer,
but between taking care of my daughter and Greta Louise, the dog,
getting a new hip and having to be nursed, I didn't get a chance so
everything is still sitting in pots. Believe you me, even if it kills me
I'm not spending this coming summer watering all those darned pots
again.

Ok....that map has the top half of our county as March 1 and the bottom half as Feb. 14. So who knows. Last year I remember it being relatively good by Feb but with this cold and wet weather I'm not sure when I will be able to get into the beds. I'd love to get some potatoes in but right now they'd rot.

Kim

Last day in Feb is the traditional last frost date in Houston. That map's a bit off for around here--west side of Houston always has colder temps during frosts/freezes than east side of Houston where there are a lot of trees.

This message was edited Jan 20, 2007 8:55 AM

Conroe's last average frost is around March 7, but last year we froze on March 24-25. I was puzzled by that map.

As was I CJ. =)

Mahnot, we had that a lot this past week with the cats wanting out, then they'd realize it was STILL freezing outside and the ice was STILL all over the place, so they would turn around and come back in. And there's a stray cat that's been hanging around. I felt sorry for him during all this and made sure he had food and water, but we couldn't bring him in because of hostility between him and OUR cats. Anyway, here's the spring planting guide for veggies for anybody planting them. Basicly, you have to know about each individual species you plant...and that isn't easy if you don't have the info on a package of seeds (and let's face it, that info may not really be that helpful, even if you have a package). This info and other stuff is in those free booklets you see at some nurseries...or you can call your county ag extension office.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/earthkind/ekgarden14.html

Thanks, Linda. I printed up both the Spring and the
Autumn schedules.