this one planted in open ground May 15

this one neighbors which looks good for the area, am thinking they did planted mid May but have used some row cover

First plant is Tsar Kolokol which is wispy heart, second one is Sakharnyi pudovichok which is beefsteak.

Very nice. I'm on-board with WOWs, and have been touting them for years. Allows planting 2 weeks+ early, and saves work because they also take care of the hardening off process. Might not be feasible for someone with 100 plants, but I suggest that they be given a try. Not sure if they're necessary for every zone, but in our zone 5 they seem a very good fit. I could plant last week of April like you, but May 1 is my usual date. Can usually get a ripe June Stupice on that schedule.

Nice, healthy looking plants Ellen!!!!!

I have some interesting plant protectors that I bought at a Gardener's Supply sale some years ago. They are about 2' tall opaque plastic "surrounds" (like a plant pot or a lamp shade with spikes cut into the plastic to insert into the soil. They also come with tops that snap on and are like an upside-down colander. I wish I had more of them! I put two on a couple of my plants to keep them a bit warmer and to see if they would do better than the other plants, and I think they have helped!

Linda

Very nice, Linda. That plant looks great.

I think WOW is a means of sheltering. I made small cages from rabbit fence and wrapped them with bubble wrap, They work fine but I did not do a side-by-side study to see how much of a difference it made. Certainly, if WOW works for you then that is all it counts.

Have a good season !