Luke:

A friend left his bb out overnight at ~20F and it lost quite a few leaves but should survive. I'd gradually move them out by day and in at night if it is going to freeze.

The peat pot will be fine in place.

I have planted many plants over the years in peat pots, only to find the peat pots still mostly intact a couple of years later. I take the pots off when I plant, I think that allowing the roots freedom to spread and go deep , especially the first season is very important to their overall health and vigor down the road.
The attached link is the explanation from the manufacturer...long story short..they do not break down..rather, the roots must be vigorous enough to push through the sides and bottom of the peat pot.
I just have had poor results planting them, maybe others have not.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jiffy peat pot site

donnaz5

I find the same thing with peat pots. I have used them to grow tomatoes and peppers under grow lights, but when I transplants them into the garden I rip away the peat pots to let the roots have more freedom to grow.

Thanks All, I've been breaking apart the pots as I repot. They are ready to fall apart anyway. I break them apart and spread the roots. This was looking like a monumental task yesterday when I started repoting, I have 450 bb plants to repot. Things are a bit more under control today and the panic is gone. I had only 50 plants of the variety that had already leafed out, so they can stay inside for a couple of days until it warms up. The other 400 plants are still dormant and are going outside as I pot them up. Only about 150 left to do. better get back to it. Thanks again.

Luke