i blame Canada! that's where the cold is originating from :(
it's unbelievable how 2-3 weeks ago it was 75-80F here. i haven't planted outside yet, but my damn compost isn't going to be ready because the cold tends to slow it down a lot. the temps will plunge in more than half of the US, even those deep south. lets just hope when it comes, it doesn't last more than a day or two..

What temperature would you guys cover small onion seedlings? I don't want them to wind up bolting on me. What about pea sprouts, what temperature would you provide protection? Spinach? It is doing nicely growing true leaves and I am not too concerned about the spinach. It already survived mid-20's.

We have forecasted lows for 3 nights of 29, 27, and 23(!)

My hoop house with lettuce and carrots is getting covered with plastic, I doubt I have enough agribon for the beet sprouts. They just sprouted, so, I will probably just replace them.

definitely cover everything that already emerged from the ground at those temps. build a temporary green house with plastic garbage bags, use shredded leaves to insulate them, or if you don't have a large area, or many plants, use juice/soda bottles with the bottoms cut off and use as a dome.

Yeah, brought 100'X10' of 4 mil plastic sheeting from HD today. Tomorrow will be busy day. But some plants, like perennial flowers I will have to sacrifice. Have no idea how to cover a row of flowers that are about 1' tall and flowering... Also I worry about berries. They not flowering yet, but already have their flowering buds formed, can freeze out at 15F. Same with fruit trees...

Peter, I will cover my onions with heavy protective cloth on one level, and plastic on a level higher. Peas I will mulch to the top (they are still pretty small), then thin protective cloth(do not have enough heavy one ) and then plastic over low frame. If it would be one day, I wouldn't worry much, but 4 in a row... I know how to deal with night frost up to 25F. But lower then that and several days... This is too much.

I have plenty of plastic. I guess I will make some kind of makeshift tunnel for my onions. I am most concerned about them I grew them from seed. I do have backups not yet planted though.

I will protect the peas and spinach with leaves and agribon.

Thankfully the soil is nice and warm and should keep the plants toasty under cover.

> Have no idea how to cover a row of flowers that are about 1' tall and flowering...

use some cheap wooden stakes to support the plastic sheet, making a upside down "V" tent.. depending on the length of the row, you don't need very many, every 3 feet or so and use some rocks to hold the plastic down.

in the future, always have stakes in the ground in the spring for emergency situations, where you simply can toss a sheet over the stakes. the warmth from the soil/ground will keep them nice and cozy.

we have wind gusts about 50 miles per hours ... Anything temporary will be blown off(. I have to make a very sturdy frames when I cover...

Trying to beat the averages may or may not work. Push the envelope and you get success or failure. Gardening is a fun gamble. I stick with the historic averages because of limited time to push the envelope.

For those of you about to get a cold snap, my sympathies are with you, and my hopes that your plants make it through.

I got caught several years ago, when a sudden late freeze destroyed a bunch of seedlings I had planted out, I had raised them from seeds. I know how it feels and I hope it doesn't happen to you.

Never covered peas or onions. You could possibly do more harm than good by trying to protect those crops. They typically will bounce back from a cold snap. As for flowers, it depends.

Accuweather says it is going to be 15F but Accuweather is never right here for some reason. Weather.com and Wunderground say 22-24F.

Dixondale says that onions are hardy to 20F

http://www.dixondalefarms.com/feb09

IDK... mine are very tiny seedlings still. I want to at least provide some minimal protection, with a row cover, at least it will protect against cold wind.

Cornell says to let the peas get damaged

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene9697.html

I will definitely cover the lettuce and carrots.

I just sowed arugula, spinach, spring onions, but no visible germination yet. Should I cover the rows with plastic sheets? And do they have to be raised off the ground or can i just lay them flat? How about peonies and iris that are 6 inches high??

We had ours last week. 60's for the first 2/3 of March, then winter showed back up the 23rd. Nearly 2' of snow in some areas around Denver, then it's snowed again and again and again and again. Yesterday we finally broke out of the snowy weather, but highs only in the mid 40's, today it is supposed to be nice and spring has come back to us, for a little while anyways.

Had 2-3" of snow this morning, and flurries continue as I type this. March was warmer than the beginning of April, but it was a false spring... it even fooled the maples in my yard, which were tricked into blooming. Hopefully that means fewer "helicopters" this year. ;-)