We had a week of hard freeze around Easter last year. Since I don't like worrying over forecasts, I generally put tomatoes out around the second week in May and most other things around Memorial Day. I have a friend who's been gardening in the area for decades and doesn't even plant out tomatoes until Memorial Day.
Stoke's Seed Swa-Op Babies!
If anybody heard the cuss words out of the west, it was me. It seems that Mother Nature got honked off at me scoffing about a frost/freeze at this late daye.
Some forecasts are calling for a freeze here on Monday night! It's outrageous!
The worse news is I'm going out of town, so I can't do any preparation that can be undone or modified. Whatever I do Sat afternoon will be what's in place on Monday night.
There is not enough room under lights in the basement...nada! So I am going to use my cheapie plastic greenhouse and hope for a couple degrees of warmth from it.
All tolled, I have planted:
all Geraniums
Bidens
Some marigolds
Petunais
almost all Salvias (annual & perennial)
Cynoglossum
Four Oclocks
Some nasturtiums
Lots of snaps, Calendula, Bachelor Buttons, Godetia, (they'll all be fine)
More Salvia
The one I really don't know what to do with: Scabiosa 'Fire King'. It's an annual Scabiosa. Does anybody know if it could take a 1 or 2 degree freeze?
Suzy
Oh, Suzy! I feel for you! Don't know anything about scabiosa . . . sorry. :-(
I'm not sure about an annual scabiosa either, I know my perennials started coming up really early, our temps are dropping down to 30 Tuesday, last night and today is pretty chilly and I left my tomatoes, peppers and daturas outside just hoping they make it but I'll have to bring them in Tuesday night, what is up with this weather! A couple of nights it's going to be 40 like Monday and Wed. I think, Suzy do you have any row covers? Leaves for the compost pile that you might be able to cover them with? Man! That would just drive me nuts to have to leave my babies with such iffy weather, how about a basket maybe? Maybe a laundry basket would work? A cardboard box that you could cut some holes in you are only going to be gone for three days right, get a cardboard box and cut some holes in the top with just a couple of air holes in the sides?
The little greenhouse should work they are always about 10 degrees warmer :)
We've got that same forecast. low 30's. and there's a lot of difference between 30 and 34. Of course, I'll be home, so I don't have the dilemma you have.
Memorial Day is traditional planting day here. I do my tomatoes in containers and they're easy to cover, so I can get them out sooner.
Soon as this cold spell is over I plan on planting my tomatoes :) I'll just cover them up if it gets cold again lol
Wow. . . you guys seems to be getting the weirdest weather . . . Our lowest temperature on the horizon is 36 degrees . . . . so the brugs will have to be put in the garage for a couple of nights.
I just took in a flat of tomatoes, too ...chilly outside!
I left out the geraniums though and moved them all in a cluster up against the house on the porch with a group of other plants.
Weatherman said we are in for some cold weather the first of May :( Don't guess I'll be planting those tomatoes, didn't say how cold, seemed like he was just threatening me LOL
Magaran's Tithonia rotundifolia, mexican sunflower (orange) is coming along, still small...pictured to the left of the cannas
and Rachierabbit's Helenium Wild Sunflower,
Inula helenium seeds germinated great. I planted 4 clumps, gave away some and still have some left. It is also still small but growing nicely ~ the chartreuse clump at both sides of this arbor.
Wind, your babies look wonderful! My Tithonia is about the same size as yours - when did you start it? I started mine last month and just put them out last week, but then I know you've had a longer wait for warm weather than we did.