10 day forecast
 

the 10 day forcast doesnt go below 40....should i plant out? i do have backups in case of late frost

i'm in micro-climate....on an island surrounded by 45-50 degree water

It's the same over here in Newark, Delaware! Sooooo tempting. My squah seedlings are now too tall for the lights so out they go. The tomatoes stay under the lights as long as they fit under the lights. I ony have a couple of each variety so I'm not taking any chances.

Do it! Just be prepared to cover them up if it gets too cold.

Has anyone tried this? If a hard freeze is expected, cover the tomato cage
with a large trash bag and on the ground away from any leaves, have a
candle lit inside of a coffee can. I would suspect that that one candle should
generate enough heat to at least compensate for 5-8 degrees. I suspect
that vent holes would be a necessity. It worked in my hoop house but it
required six candles. For some of you that have like 100 or more plants,
this method could get a little spendy, huh? Try the dollar store for candles.

Or instead of the candles, try about 3-5 gal jugs of water inside the cage surrounding the plant. The mass of the water should protect for at least 3-5 degrees. More if it was in the cage surrounded by clear plastic for a few sunny days to warm up. The clear plastic would also warm up the soil and that will also help.

Check out my "early planting" page here [url]http://knapps-fresh-vegies.netfirms.com/tips.html[/url]

Carol

I believe we saw our last frost awhile back already. I set out 4 plants yesterday. Soil temp in the bed was 62 degrees and it was a cloudy day. This is three to four weeks early for my area.

I put mine out yesterday in Central IL (5b). I'm looking at low 70's during the day and 40ish at night. Just in case, they are in Wall of Waters for a few weeks. Hopefully I won't need the back up plants I still have under lights indoors. I know it is pretty risky but I just couldn't make myself wait!

[QUOTE=Derby;265695]I put mine out yesterday in Central IL (5b). I'm looking at low 70's during the day and 40ish at night. Just in case, they are in Wall of Waters for a few weeks. Hopefully I won't need the back up plants I still have under lights indoors. I know it is pretty risky but I just couldn't make myself wait![/QUOTE]


How many weeks early does that make you Derby?

[QUOTE=Derby;265695]I put mine out yesterday in Central IL (5b). I'm looking at low 70's during the day and 40ish at night. Just in case, they are in Wall of Waters for a few weeks. Hopefully I won't need the back up plants I still have under lights indoors. I know it is pretty risky but I just couldn't make myself wait![/QUOTE]

Yep, I'm in the Chicago area and I put a bunch out into my garden hot zones yesterday as well.

It is about two weeks early for me but closer to a month early for most growers here. Most around here wait until May first.

Look at the Pecan trees
 

[QUOTE=ChefJeff;265492]the 10 day forcast doesnt go below 40....should i plant out? i do have backups in case of late frost[/QUOTE]

if you have backups, i'd say GO FOR IT...

I always use the pecan trees to determine when there will be no more frost... When the leaf buds start breaking open on them, there will be no more frost.

This has been my yardstick for about 30 years, and they have never steered me wrong. An old farmer in SW Georgia told me about that trick way back when...

Steve,

If the pecans know, why don't they tell the apricots? Pretty darn selfish of them, don't ya think?

(And that has to be the cutest picture I've seen on here! Child or grandchild?)

{g}
 

[QUOTE=livinonfaith;265837]Steve,

If the pecans know, why don't they tell the apricots? Pretty darn selfish of them, don't ya think?

(And that has to be the cutest picture I've seen on here! Child or grandchild?)[/QUOTE]

hmmm... good question. How do you know they don't?? :)) The apricots may just be a very impatient sort, and don't wait for the 'word'.

(Actually, i don't know who's child it is... when i found the picture on the internet though, i knew i had a kindred spirit somewhere :) )

I had a touch of frost last night... out of the blue. No warnings.

The plants I had outside dodged it as they were close to buildings. The four toms I put in under black plastic were saved by their warm beds and short height.