Yeah.
Our last frost date is May 12, but I always ignore that.
I surely figured the 1st week of May is safe.

A lot of people here have planted tomatoes and I know they are worried.
We are forecast 34 degrees tonight, but where I garden is very open and windy and always freezes when the residential neighborhoods do not.

Last week I lost 2 plants to frost, which I had forgotten to cover. The rest, that I covered with row cover, were ok.

So back tonight to cover again.
Now I have a lot more to cover.

--------sigh

We had frost overnight, too. It was 37° but patchy frost was visible.

Of my wintersown stuff, I have only planted out things I felt could take some frost, like dianthus, snaps, a few ruds... I imagine they'll be OK. I don't have many sprouts left in jugs, either. They were in sterilite bins with the lids on and I imagine they'll be fine, too.

I had planted out 5 indoor-started zinnias and 2 tidal wave petunias and I covered those. The alyssum looks great as do the cutting-started geraniums. I also moved stuff which had been living on my porch into the garage overnight. (cutting started coleus, and indoor started seedlings like zinnias, and 4 big pots I planted a few days ago).

Karen

I don't think we had frost last night, but my inside grown tomatoes have been outside on the patio for a week now. They were recovering nicely from leaving them out by mistake one night last week and now they all look like goners. Even without frost it was cold and windy.

Today I'll be finding a way to protect the 25 ws tomatoes I planted out this past week since we're projected to go down to 30 tonight, only for two hours, but I'd rather be safe than lose my tomatoes. Maybe a raised tarp? Don't have row covers or even know where I could get them.

We were supposed to be safe by now.

Caryl

I put pvc piping in the ground around the plants, drape with a sheet and secure the corners with bricks. I covered everything last night and it seems we didn't get anywhere as cold as they said. I hope you're able to get your's covered. After all this time, it is sad to lose any of the seedlings.

Well, luckily I had many bags, buckets, blankets and what not for the things I had already planted out! (My yard looked like a junk yard this morning! LOL

I still have a lot of things in containers and just brought those in. I only lost a few zinnia seedlings that couldn't get covered (most of them I did, thankfully!).

I have about 12 peonies this year (many are starts from others that were transplanted. The last several years I've never had blooms because of this. Moving, transplanting, acquiring some from trades....

I have one larger plant that I transplanted this spring and it has several buds on it, one that is about to open. I turned a rubbermaid trash can upside over it and it's fine. (Whew!) I want a peony blooming so bad I can't stand it! LOL I took so much care to not disturb the roots any more than I had too and all.

Tonight it's not going to freeze, but I brought my pepper plants and 4 o'clocks in anyhow. Everything else is outside.

Caryltoo: I wouldn't give up on the tomatoes too quickly! I've had some that I thought were goners before, too and I just babied them some and watered well and they survived! Can't hurt! ;)

sheets in my yard tonight...gaah!

Frost? No, freeze, down to 29 here tonight. All my babies are safe inside, but I don't think my baby fig trees are going to make it. They never came out of dormancy. I'll give them my best but meanwhile I have one which stayed indoors all winter because it was the "runt of the litter".

Mary

I covered everything at my garden that was in danger (I hope) and wrapped my containers here at home.

Not sure how low it went.

Never thot I'd be worried about frost on this date.

Yep, heavy frost here last night, suprised it frosted with those nasty 30 to 50 MPH winds we had for 2 days.
First time in many years I was not able to weed the front flower bank I usually do on Mothers Day weekend.
To think, it was 90 degrees 10 days ago!
Alot of people have plantings out already, glad I am late the onions/taters/garlic look fine this morning and the established perennials are still standing.

We had a freeze warning too, covered what we could with tarps. Have not been out to check on them yet, The biggest heartbreak was yesterday morning I woke to find my zip up greenhouse fulled with annuals and veggies tipped over....I lost a lot of plants. Ma Nature sure can be cruel.

"...Ma Nature can be cruel..." (Isn't that the truth!?)

So sorry about everyone's losses!

i was very lucky last night. When I awoke this morning it was 30°. There was a frost in the front yard, but looks as if all my plants in the back yard are fine. The back ,where my garden and seedlings are didnt get any. It is pretty protected between hills,trees, and my house. I am so sorry for anyone that lost plants, its such a labor of love.
Tammy

UGH! I had just planted out cukes and squash over the weekend... ALL are dead... ARG!!!! Back to planting seeds!

Leisa

Our temps are supposed to be in the upper 20's, dewpoint of 17. I've covered the annuals. I will be very interested to see if I get frost. Hope I remmeber everything that needs ocvering!

I actually had more damage on a couple tomatoes from (I guess) windburn from the last few days of cool, windy weather. Each plant had one of the largest leaves turn gray and dead, as if the plant was not hardened off. Except they had already been in the ground in full sun with no covering (in the daytime) for 3 weeks. This cold weather in May is crazy!

Lois in PA

Oh, Leisa! Sorry to hear that! I just can't believe the weird weather lately. I hadn't gotten my cukes and melons out yet because I was too busy getting new beds ready. I guess that was a good thing! I covered the big one with plastic one night before a light rain thinking I'd get to plant out this past weekend. Glad I didn't do that! (I should have left it covered!)

Now we're supposed to have rain (a lot of thunderstorms) for a week. Guess it'll be awhile before I plant 'anything' else!

Geesh!

sorry Leisa,that you lost them.

I didn't cover last night, didn't think it was going to get so cold.
this has been a difficult season in more than one way for me, and if I lose things that's it. I'm not starting anything.
I've been somewhat conflicted about gardening anyway this year.

Lois, the wind took a number of my tomatoes as well. Really bad gusting sunday and monday. I covered/moved things Sunday night, because the weather report said frost was possible in some areas. Turns out we never got below 35 here according to the closest private weather station and with the wind I doubt any frost settled. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Caryl

Sorry to all of you who lost plants. We baby these little seedlings along and for Mother Nature to throw us such a curve is tough. But it may not be too late to start over. Then there's always the nursery: I was out today and saw some great prices. We also had frost up here in the north last night (Monday) and the night before. Our last frost date is May 6, and luckily I did not get around to planting out my zucchini and gourds. So out came my tarp. and an old sheet and I covered all my containers, and put my tender vegetables in the garage. Our furnace came on it was so cold. But it's warming up nicely today.

We had temps drop to 25 degrees on Monday night. Things that worked

Large paper feed bags put over plants with heavy items to hold in place ( did not work the first time with hight winds blew them off.)
The milk jug tops did little to protect the tomato plants most got burned but are not dead.

Squash seedling were toast.

My pepper plants I just ripped them out of the ground and tossed in a empty milk crate and put in the basment. This was the second set of late frost and did not want to lose my pepper plants. There were replanted 2 days later, not happy but still alive .

Winter sowed little ones of tomatos got carried into the basement, still happy campers but are getting transplated out today before it rains.

I have found a ring of milk jugs filled with water put around plants and a towel at night seems to carry most plants thur a 25 degree night.

Paper works far better then plastic items and cloth even better.

I think a tarp over my fenced in area would not of made much of a difference at 25 degrees.

ML