Take plants out finally, or leave them in?

We keep bouncing back and forth between 78 degree days w/ 45 degree nights and then back to 54 degree days w/ 40 degree nights! Our frost date is between 4/12 and 4/15. I can't decide if I can go ahead and put out my tender perenials and annuals yet. The weather is wishy washy and so am I. They are dying for the sun and extra water, but I don't know if they can make it through the nights. And I can not bring all of them in and out of the garage every day. Some are coleus, confetti lantana, unpotted daylilies in grocery bags (about 80!). (By the way, I need a helper too. ^_^)
What to do, what to do...
Can a few of y'all come give me your opinions?

I was looking at a weather forecast today and they are forecasting nighttime temperatures in the low to mid-30s the 12-14th. Calling for 32 degrees the night of the 14th. A lot can change before then but I'd probably err on the side of caution.

Having said that, of course I've already planted out some tomatoes!.

BB

This message was edited Apr 9, 2008 11:36 AM

No wonder... I can't get the pepper seed to germinate even indoors. They're obviously smarter that me.

Laurel

dadgumit! I new the frost date was 4/15, and not 4/12 like they said on the news the other day! I'm going to rig up a grow light in the garage and just water them all over the floor. I have no choice, hubby will just have to roll his eyes!

I've been watching Ken Cook on channel5. He keeps saying "Don't plant your annuals and vegetables yet." So I'm still babying mine.....

My tomatoes will stay in the pots I guess - they are just jumping to get into the ground!!
Weather.com is more optimistic for the city. Saying 38 two nights, that's as low as they go right now. Everything else I've planted is hardy here except containers which can be covered with sheets or chugged inside if need be.

GGG

The only annuals I've put out are petunias and verbena. Do you think the frost will kill them? Guess I could cover them too.

Some verbena are very hardy. Most petunias not so much.

GGG

!@#$%^& I was suckered into putting out my tomatoes & squashes, by those deceitful, treacherous 75-45 day/night temps. Luckily I hadn't got around to putting the peppers out yet, so come Monday I'll drag their li'l green butts back inside. This is only the 2nd time in 40 years that I've broken the Not Til Last Frost Date Rule, and the other time--it was a few years ago, and yup, late frost again, I'm outside in gale force freezing winds, it's almost dark, pinning large styrofoam cups over the tomatoes & peppers, cussing like a sailor the whole time. I believe I've learned my lesson now. I'm not worried about the lettuces, only one of my new blueberry bushes has berries & that's just a fluke, wasn't going to "harvest" the dozen or so anyway. The OGRs I just put in will be ok. I planted the few Oxheart Carrots & Chiogga Beets that came up from rather old seeds in large pots, so I'll just roll them inside on the handtruck. !@#$%^&* judithht

I have some tomato plants out but nothing I can't replace. They are mulched pretty heavily I think if I throw a tarp over them they'll be fine.

What I'm really worried about are my peach trees. Last year was the first year we were going to have peaches and the Easter frost killed them. Now here we go again. We are going to try blankets to cover them

BB

I have declared it Spring, put up the wool, put on the shorts, put out the 'maters. That's all there is to it. I do this every year (37 since I've been in Atlanta). Native Floridian that I am, I refuse to think cold thoughts. I'm using "ATTITUDE" to fend of the coming dip.

MapopLaurel

Good ol' Ken. Should have listened to him. I put a few things in the ground so I'll have to see what will survive, but I'm bringing my plumies in!!!

Oh, I forgot about my new Creeping Fig. I might cry if the frost kills it. I love the look of it and know I will have to replace it yearly, but....this stinks. Also I forgot about the Dusty Miller- just a few little ones. The Creeping Fig would be the biggest loss. We have only been in this house since August. All of the beds had obviously been sprayed within an inch of anything's life to keep weeds and anything else from growing. We did have very mature trees and well kept shrubs. It was the most well manicured, suburban yard, without a single intersting plant in sight. A blank slate, really. I have been plotting and planning for months now on how to make this house look "lived in". Now this. Patience is a virtue I was not granted. I told my DH today that our yard would look great, in about two years. :)

Jsknutson, do not bemoan your creeping fig. I have all the creeping fig you could ever want creeping and crawling over orchard stone, pizza oven and outdoor kitchen walls in Atlanta. Feel free to tear away. We compost boat loads Spring and Fall. Dmaill if interested.

Laurel

I'm with you Maypop. My Grandpa always said once the grapevines leafed out, there would be no more frost. Mine are very leafy. LOL Just in case,, I will be dragging and covering.. sigh,,,, Where are you from in Florida?
Have to remember to put my Plumeria in greenhouse too.. sighhhhhhhhhh,
goodnight all.
Elaine

Elaine, I was born on Miami Beach and lived there until I was eight. My Pop (grandfather) started me gardening tropicals and warm fruit when I was four. He gave me my first trowel...a soup spoon. My folks then moved to what was the boondocks; North Miami Beach :). There was an incredible four acre estate behind our little subdivision house owned by a famous elderly couple. They had live in staff, including Mr. White, an English gardener. They were childless and "adopted" me. The gardener continued to teach me where my Pop left off. I had my own potting bench in the lath house and got to experiment with growing from seeds, layering, and grafting. There was a quarter acre dedicated to incredible roses which are, for at least a dozen reasons, impossible in S. FL.. Roses were cut for the house daily. I lived there until I married and moved to Atlanta.

Dad is now 89 years old and still doing cannonballs in the pool (lol). He's a real grill freak. I go down as often as I can. My mom is no longer living. Realize this is more than you asked for. Hope it's not too much information.

Laurel

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/04/13/coldsnap_0414.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab




ajc.com > Metro
Chill targets flowers, young vegetables

By S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/13/08
Spoiled by a run of balmy spring weather, metro Atlantans — and their outdoor plants — are in for a chilly shock.

The National Weather Service has put all of north and central Georgia, which includes the metro area, on the alert to expect Monday and Tuesday temperatures well below average for this time of year.

The forecast called for a Monday morning low of around 38 and a high in the low 50s, forecaster Laura Griffith said Sunday. The chance of rain is 30 percent during the day and 20 percent Monday night.

Tuesday's low will dip to near freezing, but temperatures will rebound into the low 60s later in the day. Warmer weather returns on Wednesday, with a high near 70. Thursday could see a high of 79, Grififth said.

The cold snap came in on the heels of a front that moved into the state after Saturday's rain.

"I know a lot of people have already done their spring planting and their vegetation could be susceptible to frost," Griffith said. "We're advising people to stay aware of the forecasts of temperatures in their area, so they can prepare for the possibility of freezing and protect their vegetables."

One way to protect against the frost is to cover them with cloth, such as a sheet or light blanket or landscape fabric, suggested Janet Nauck, a plant guru and manager at Andy's Discount Nursery in Fayetteville.

Open blooms could be hurt if the temperature dips below freezing, but closed buds could survive, Nauck said.

Tomatoes and peppers, for example, probably will be fine, Nauck added. But tender, heat-longing crops, such as squash and beans, could be lost.

Container plants are highly susceptible to damage and should be brought indoors or, at least, closer to the house, Nauck suggested. Despite recent hard rains, make sure everything is watered to provide added protection.

"Plants need moisture. Freezing robs foliage of moisture," Nauck said. "Wind can burn, so the fact that it rained is very beneficial."

Thanks, I'm good. Window boxes (pansies and lantana) were watered and covered with newspaper. No beans, eggplants or peppers in. I've covered the 'maters with newspaper. It will be 35 here tonight. Hope ya'll don't have problems. I really think it's going to be fine.

L

Laurel,,, very interesting. thanks for sharing. I am from Florida also. Came from small town in center of state (Wauchula). My grandpa raised strawberries and mmm they were so good. I need to go pick some tomorrow before this cold weather freezes them.
Soulgarden, thanks for that info. I am soooo tired. I put all my pots back in greenhouse and covered, just in case.
Elaine

Elaine, I know Wauchula. My dad was in the wholesale produce business and then went into food manufacturing. He owned and leased croplands throughout FL. I used to travel around with him sometimes to check out the crops.

I no longer have a greenhouse, so have to take my chances, but for those of you who are running back and forth...well don't stay up too late.

Laurel

Temps are predicted to go just below freezing tonight and DH has his "I told you so" look (v. irritating). Walter Reeves sent out a newsletter last week about protecting plants against the cold - here's the link for those of you who didn't get it. http://www.walterreeves.com/uploads/Newsletter/041108newsletter.html

I got that email too. I didn't know if I could post it or not. Copyright stuff and all.
My hydrangeas are in a good bit of shade in a sunken part of my yard, so they always bud out later than everyone else's. That has always worked in my benefit for these late frosts. But I almost always lose my deutzia (sp?) blooms! Makes me mad every year. It blooms later than the first beginning of spring, but still earlyish spring, right when that trusty, last frost that always comes arrives.

I kept hearing that tonight (Tue) was going to be the worst, but yesterday, the weather.com site listed LAST night (Mon) as the worst and for it to continue to rise by little bits each night on. Anyone heard differently?

Yeah. I'm a little confused as well. I thought last night was going to be the worst with continuing improvement from then on.

BB

I guessed that as I was just providing a link to Walter Reeves site and not copying and pasteing the info it would be okay.

I post all kinds of info and just attribute where it came form ... that is fine. I post Walter stuff all the time with links and I list it just incase the link ever goes bad or changes..the info will still be there. Kinda like what i did above with the AJC article :)

Susan

You did right Artgal. That is the preferable method.

But back to the weather!

Every forecast I've looked at is calling for 36 in my area. The weird thing is that my main site, accuweather is saying the real feel is going to be in the 40s. I can understand how wind can make it seems colder than it actually is. But how can it feel warmer than it actually is????

Anyway, I twisted my back and don't feel like re-covering anything. I have more than enough tomatoes to replace the ones I have in the ground. It's my peach trees I'm worried about. I think they'll be fine though.

BB

I do hope the frost isn't bad enough to destroy the blueberry crops like it did last year. They have been talking locally about what it could do to strawberries.

I'm willing to put my science background to work here and take a stab at explaining the confusion. Yesterday was cloudy. Cloudy skies can actually hold warmth to the ground. Since there is a balance between what the ground has absorbed in recent days and the air temperature the forecast can be slightly off. The closer to the ground, the warmer it should be since we've been warming for weeks. Now, today it is clear and warmer, but the clear skies tonight will make tonight's air temperatures better able to penetrate at lower levels, thus the potential for a cold night. That being said, the warmth that the soil took in after this bright, warm day can carry plants through the night and give a warmer "real feel". Hope I didn't confuse anyone further.

Good information all. Mine are all snug in the greenhouse until tomorrow, then I am going to uncover and KEEP it uncovered. Worked all day potting up for the roundup in S. GA.
Laurel, that is interesting that you got to travel around and see Florida. It sure is a lot different now,, too many people for me.
Elaine

I broke down and covered my stuff up. Didn't want to take a chance with my peaches.

Most stuff in the GH was snug and happy

BB

At around 11:30, I went out and covered it all again too.
Didn't want to take a chance on the last freeze...I hope it's the last freeze!
Now I can clean some of these out of my garage too.
The planting rush is on again!

Apparently there was scattered frost last night - I brought vulnerable plants in but didn't cover anything up. I have yet to go outside and see if there was any damage. They are talking about low temps again tonight but if things survived last night they should be okay.

It's a BEAUTIFUL day today. I think I'm going to drag everything back out today. They need the sunshine!

It is a BEAUTIFUL day. Don't tell the zinnia, marigold, cosmos and dill seedlings how cold it's been. They have not seemed to notice. I did put a few sheets of newspaper over the tomatoes the last few nights. Hope everyone's plants are fine.

Oh yes, a beautiful day. I drug all the veggies out of the GH and they are sunning themselves. Now to get the tomatoes planted, tomorrow I hope. Today I spent digging up stuff for RU. Lots of bees and butterflies out now.

Yes,,, a beeutiful day. And a wonderful butterfly day also. My plants are all uncovered. Just put a floodlight under the orchids. I think I need to give up on them..sighhhh. My mom's are sooo gorgeous in Florida. Nothing seems to have been hurt by this cold weather. My hydrangeas did not have any black leaves,,, yet. And the azalea blooms are still gorgeous.
Thankful here.
Elaine

Stunning picture, Elaine.

Thank you,,, smiles..
Elaine

I was such a gorgeous day I could drag everything back out of the greenhouse at work and set it out for a beautiful display! So many people came out to play in the dirt!

Never imagined in my whole life I'd get to garden 24/7 and be paid for it!!

GGG