I'm thinking the same thing- my seedlings want out but I worry about the cool evenings next week.

How cool is too cool for the seedlings mentioned above?

Anybody? My plants are ready to revolt! ;)

Well, revolting means they're alive, lol. Have they been hardened off? Out during the day- back in at night? Or on a porch? My tomatoes, lemon cukes, yellow peppers, and herbs are still in my kitchen greenhouse window. Tonight and tomorrow night the temp here (central CT) may go down to 35. They wouldn't be happy campers. Here, the wind has been a big problem, so I'm waiting. If, where you are, you don't have a wind problem and your plants can be covered at night with a tarp, sheet, whatever, then try - or maybe 1/2 of them. Do you think the soil temp is warm enough? If you have squash blossoms now, when did you plant the seeds? I've had to learn to restrain myself from planting too early - not easy in the middle of March. Spring has been longer this year than any I remember, but it's still 2 weeks earlier than I'd normally plant. I'm holding off, but my plants are not as advanced as yours.

Kindly,
Jane

They've been outside 24/7 for about 2 weeks now. Temps haven't gone below 40 and aren't predicted to. I followed the Farmer's Almanace for how many weeks before last frost (April 15 here). I hit the favorable moon dates.

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/zipcode/02538

Seems like this was too early by two weeks.

I use HD flourescent fixtures, 2 per shelf, on a timer. They got too big and the temps were 70s and 80s so I put them out. Night temps were getting to 60s and 50s so I kept them out at night. Temps dropped slowly to 40s and 50s at night now and 50s 60s and 70s during the day.

10 day forecaast is mid 50s to mid 60s day, and 39 for a low the next couple days followed by 40s and 50s. It is windy but the garden is fairly sheltered.

Guess the question is, plant now or wait 1 more week. Would being bound in the newspaper pots with blossoms be more detrimental than being outside in the ground a little on the cool side?

Thanks for any advise!

All of those are plants that like warm soil and air temperatures. Right now here it is 40 degrees with a wind that is gusting to at least 40 mph, so covering them would not be successful and the wind would be quite rough on seedlings. Our last average frost date is 5/15, but that's average, and the soil won't yet be warm enough here, though I don't know about your area. Do you have a soil thermometer?

Johnny's catalog has good info - don't plant tomatoes out if it is going to go below 45, and the rest it just says that they won't withstand any frost.

Coronum's question about hardening off is key. If they haven't had any exposure to the out-of-doors, planting them in the garden without protection will set them back severely or kill them. Leaves will get sunburned and even lighter winds may damage or break stems. They need to go out for short periods that increase every day or else go out initially in a shady sheltered spot that moves out toward the sun a bit every day.

Remember this is New England - if you don't like the weather, just wait a bit. A couple of weeks ago we had temperatures in the nineties one day and two days later it went well below freezing.

Okay, I just checked the 10 day forecast for your zip code. Here is my answer: If these were my plants, I'd keep them moist and protected until next Friday or Saturday, THEN put them into the ground. Nighttime temps for you are suppose to be 50+ beginning next Friday night. Still watch the night temps thereafter and should it dip below say 40, you can put a sheet, bucket or whatever you have over them (individual plants or a row) to keep the leaves safe from being too cold and getting nipped.

This morning I went to the regional market to get a few flats of annuals. They're good size and in bloom, but no way will they be planted before next weekend.

As fun and nice as it is to read, if the Farmer's Almanac was always right, we wouldn't need NOAA and Doppler. Let us know how your crop comes out!

Jane

It's very cool and windy here this morning. It was 40 degrees on the back porch early. So I'm very happy that I didn't put any annuals or warm season veggies out yet. I haven't even started hardening off my houseplants yet. I have some begonias and tropicals that I don't like to have outside until night time temps are consistently in the 50s.

Right after I posted, I went searching for seeds at Johnnyseeds.com and found their 'calculator' for seed-starting. I put in 05/15/2010 as a last frost date and it then produced a list of vegetables with the time for when the seeds should be started before the last frost date and also the time for when the plants should be put outside in the garden; times are different for various plants. Check this out - and notice what it says about squash. Handy little calculator!

Here is a link that might be useful: Johnnyseeds.com

Brrrr, it is chilly and windy out there, Yeah I think I'll give them one more week. Thanks! That Johnnseeds one is pretty good....next year.

Aww--- go on. Take your chances, like me. I'm also near the saltwater (800 ft.) and I've put in tomatoes, cukes, parsley, acorn squash, lettuce and 5 tiny rose bushes. Te morituri salutamus. (Gladiators said that before combat, "we who are about to die salute you.") I'll let everyone know next week if you all can tell me I told you so. :)

Carol

In preparation for next year. I am thinking I go with our traditional plant on Memorial Day weekend. Anyone seen any information out there that would allow you to back calculate when to plant the seeds indoors for planting at that date?

I got my beans in the ground and they are just starting to poke out. Hope they do ok with the possible frost tonight.

For once, my lack of enthusiasm to start my veggie garden outside worked. I am a winter-sower, and do everything in containers (milk jugs) outdoors, and I just in the last week or so started my veggie patch. While some are big enough that they COULD go out, I'll wait til this weekend to put them out there.
I haven't started cukes yet, but could, and they'll be ready to plant out by the time this whacky weather passes.