Since nobody's answered you, I'll try a guess. I think as long as you don't have frosts they'd be okay outside now, and baskets would be fine. Don't know how long your growing season is--I asked my sister in z3/4 Montana how long her growing season is, and she said 'what growing season?'--so if you get frost in any month maybe not. They grow pretty fast once they get started though, so you may be pleasantly surprised. Good luck!