I haven't looked this up right at this minute, but from my recollection the last frost date for north Georgia is April 1 -- I was thinking I was home free from now on regarding planting sunflowers, petunias, etc. Considering how warm it's been already it seems unlikely there will be a late frost.

But has this area been known to have late frosts past the last common "last frost" date?

Rose

Since I have resided in this area, we have experienced heavy frost as late as May 20. Of course that was in the mid 1970's, before "Global Warming" became a catch word. We also had a number of record highs in April and May during the "mini Ice Age" of the 1960's and 1970', while recordiing record lows each day. (different years). You cannot predict what the weather will be like in this area.
Today was supposed to be a rainy day, with ½" predicted. So far, only a few sprinkles have fallen.
Rb

Later this week (Thursday) it is supposed to cool off again. There is a good chance for frsot in that. I see temps for Mid Georgia forecast in the mid 60's for a high and at the forty mark at night for a low over several nights. Given my susceptible micro-climates and consulting my journals on the garden weather for the past two decades, I've learned to always plan for frost at 40 degrees or below. Thus, I'd say keep the frost tents, wall-o-water and the like handy the end of this week and during the weekend.

FYI the average last frost is April 15th. I try and wait till May 1st to plant anything that doesn't like cool nights, i.e, impatients, tomatoes, basil etc. Even if we don't get a frost many of those plants will wind up stunted from the cold night temps.

Thanks for the information. I did buy one lone tomato and put it in a pot--at least this way I can bring it to the patio on cold nights.

Rose

According to the weather forecast, lows in the 'low 30s' are due for Friday and Sat night. BRRR.

I have been holding off on planting certain things like sumemr vegetables and caladiums, but most of my stuff won't be hurt by a few hours of cold. Frost is a another matter. If frost is predicted, I'm going to have to cover up some of my plants that are filled with buds right now.

I have a cherry tomato plant, parsley, and greek oregano in containers. Should I bring these inside on Thursday and Friday? Is there anything else I can do to protect them on cold nights? such as covering it with a trash bag or something? I would prefer to do that.
Thanks.

Parsley and oregano overwinter in my herb garden, but I don't know about in containers. Heel them in or cover them, and they should be fine. If they are easy to bring in, bring them in. Definitely bring in the cherry tomato.
I'm bummed because my hydrangeas have already broken bud, and Saturday's low temps are going to kill the buds for sure. This will be the second year the hydrangeas have been tricked by early heat - so the second year without blooms. Rats!!

I will cover everything for the cold nights we have forecasted. I feel sorry for anyone that has already planted Impatiens or other warm weather plants so early. This happens every year and most of us have waited to plant anything new outside.

These cold nights will be enough to severly stunt or even kill new growth on tender new Clematis, Hostas, Hydrangeas, Cannas, and Bamboo if left unprotected. Any annuals you have planted should also be protected from sub-freezing temps on Friday Saturday and Sunday nights. Good luck all.

I was glad that I haven't planted any annuals...but I didn't think about my perennials that are starting to appear.
Thanks vroomp for reminding me about the clematis, hostas, hydrangeas, and cannas. Those are all coming up, so I'll have to cover them for the next several nights.

It says on saturday the low is sposed to be 28 degrees here in booford.

Ok ya'll...I need some suggestions here...I've got clemtais and foxgloves all over my yard and they are all covered in buds. I've got a bunch of large buckets but obviously they wouldn't work for these plants!! How to cover the whole back yard? Hmmmm...

I am curious about inside the city. I have several huge hydrangeas and hostas I would hate to see hurt. How do I keep them safe?

I've used old bed sheets on larger plants, or groups of plants. On the rose thread, someone mention 5 gal pots overturned on smaller plants. And pray :)

One of the things I mentioned in my earlier post is that if it hits 40 degress or lower, then I automatically anticipate frost this time of the year. It's happened for many of the past 20 years aI've kept tabs on it. Last year the same thing happended (a long, early spring warm spell followed by a frost on April 14th.) Even the greened up bermuda grass took a hit then. Marigolds, tomatos, peppers etc. would not have survived. However, most of my roses and clematis didn't seem hurt too badly. A few brown tips on the clematis, but they bloomed profusely none the less. Fortunately, I have a greenhouse and patience, so I haven't got anything out that will get hurt. In the veggie garden the potatoes are up, but in the past they've actually done better if the tops are nipped by a late frost. The cabbages, onions, and the like will be fine.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast. As of today, they are predicting lows of 26 in my area for BOTH Friday and Saturday nights. Before it was just for Saturday.

Hey maybe we'll wind up with some great plant sales by the time this is done.

On the plus side the freeze will take out a lot of bugs, too. At least for a little while.