Thanks ZM! Yes,will definitely harden off—my morning glories and moonflowers have been hardening off for a few days already. Once the big thunderstorm passes I'll add the snaps and poppies to their shady spot. Thanks for telling me what I was hoping to hear ;)

too soon in my z5 ...

but you should be able to put them in the garage ... and leave the door open ... during the day ... but close at night ....or some such ...

bright shade outdoors is as good as indoor lights ... so start processing them out ...

ken

Funny, Ken, my forecast is quite a bit warmer than yours. Do you get some of the lake effect over there?

Kate, you don't look at daily or weekly forecasts as a judge of when to plant outside. It's best to go by a statistical average.....your location will have an average last frost date based on your USDA zone and other factors.

You can either look it up yourself or call your local extension office.

Hi rhizo_1, thanks! I do go by the LFD (4/29 on average for my zone) for my veggies, always. I'm just a little antsy to get flowers outside because they're getting so big, and was trying to jump the gun a little :)

The lowest temp on Des Moines' 10 forecast is 46*. You might be ok but you need to harden them off anyway, so I'd do what Ken suggested.

tj

Thanks TJ! I'm going to start hardening them off tomorrow (been thunderstorming for the last few days, not ideal weather for delicate plants).