If you're leaving them out on the east side of the house, is the house shading them in the afternoon or are they far enough away from the house that they get sunshine all day long?

If they are tolerating direct sun all day long, then I think you can put them in the ground now if you want to, particularly if you feel like you can cover up the in-ground plants in the event a cold spell threatens. However, you will be setting them out pretty early for your location so, statistically, you still have a better than 50% chance of a frost or a freeze. I suppose it all comes down to how much of a gambler you are.

If the plants are so close to the house that it or its' shadow shade them beginning around noon, then they're only hardened off to a half day of sun, and I'd move them elsewhere and let them harden off in full-day sun for 3 or 4 more days before transplanting them.

How long can they tolerate being in cups? Until they are rootbound. Rootbound plants stop putting out new growth, may wilt by mid-afternoon and often develop an off-color because they're stressed. Once they're rootbound, they can stall and stunt and after you transplant them it can take them a couple of weeks to resume growth.

I haven't looked at your area's statistics on the OK Mesonet, but if your soil temp is at 55 or above and is staying there, and if there's no temps below 40 degrees in your 10-day forecast, I think it would be safe to plant as long as you feel comfortable doing so.

I am ready to put mine in the ground and they are ready or even beyond ready to go into the ground. I have checked my 10-day forecast every which way I can and it looks good, and my soil is warm. Still, I haven't really decided when to start putting them in the ground. I'm a little concerned about the cold spell at the end of the month, but not necessarily so concerned that I won't start planting them in 2 or 3 days. Keep in mind though, that I'm right at the dividing line between 7a and 7b so we're a tiny bit warmer here than y'all are there most of the time.

My gut feeling is that it would be OK to go ahead and plant if your 10-day forecast looks good. This is the warmest March I can remember since moving here so I feel like the freezing weather is over or just about over for most of the state.

Dawn

Jo, I have mine in newspaper containers in full sun all day and out at night. I would like to put them in the ground but a little afraid to. The past two years I planted in May, and had planned to this year but this warm weather has me screwed up.

By next year I hope to have plenty one gal. containers.

Larry

Thanks for the replies. Every year I put out my tomatoes too early, but it has been so crazy warm lately.

My plants are within 20 feet of the house, so I'm going to move them all out back into my garden (still in cups) and let them harden off a little more. I also might pull one of the bigger seedlings out of its cup and take a peek at the roots to see how much time I have.

Saturday and Sunday are calling for lows in the high 30s, so yeah, I might be a little premature. I'll probably wait until at least next week if the roots look okay.

This year I know all about covering (thanks to my fall tomatoes last year that I had until late November with the help from a few sheets) so I think I can protect them if frost threatens.

I am just giddy that gardening season is about to go into full swing! WHEEEE.

Jo

Larry, The weather is messing up all of us. It is too hot too early. I have a feeling those of us in central (after the weekend's cold nights pass) thru southern OK (right now) probably could go plant everything we've got and it would be fine for the warm-season crops. It already may be too hot for the cool-season crops to do well in southern OK. My peas are really suffering in the 80+ degree high temps and high winds. The plants look really heat-stressed and drought stressed.

Jo, If ever there is a year when I think you will be able to plant "early" for your location, this will be it....after those cold nights this weekend have passed.

It is so hot here in southcentral OK that I feel "behind" in planting, although I am ahead compared to most years.

Why can't we ever have one, nice, normal spring when the weather behaves exactly as we think it should?

Dawn

Jo,

Have you tried winter sowing? Take so much work out of it all...

Amanda

I've wintersowed twice this year. The first ones popped up early and either froze or fried, I'm not sure which. One day they were fine, and the next they were toast.

I reseeded and am keeping a sharp eye on my containers.

I have 40-50 or so plants that I started indoors that are now WAY ahead of my 15 or so wintersown containers...but they had an extra 2-3 weeks.

Wintersowing sure is easier if I can get the basics down!

Jo