Cool weather sticking around?

8 years ago

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to write a quick note warning everyone to maybe wait a while to plant your tender veggies. It looks like we're going to be in an up and down weather pattern for a few more weeks, at least. Next weekend is likely to be very warm, so you may get the itch to plant. You might want to hold off, as we'll likely see a few frosty mornings between March 29 and April 10. The European Weather Model, which is typically better than the U.S. model, is even more bullish on the cooler weather for that time period. My average Last Frost Date here in Tulsa is April 15, and I think this year will be about that time or even maybe after. We'll see.

Lee

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Okiedawn OK Zone 7

8 years ago

Y'all know that I'm not likely to wait as long as the rest of you do since I'm so far south in Love County, but even I'm not particularly itching to get those tomato plants in the ground early....not as much as usual. This is the first Spring in a long time where the cold nights just don't seem in much hurry to go away and stay away---they keep recurring at the rate of 2 or 3 cold nights per week at our house, despite daytime highs as warm as 83-84 some days.

Of course, I have a contingency plan that includes frost blankets rated to give 10 degrees of protection, so I could lose my mind and plant a few early tomato plants any time, but it won't happen this week.

I think that Lee tries to help us all control our early planting desires every year by giving us a great forecast about what the models are showing out there in the future, which I appreciate, but at some point I just lose control and go for it. For the record, I haven't lost a tomato plant to frost or freezing temperatures in years and years. Someday it will happen again, but I do my best to not plant so early that it is inevitable.

Did I mention I have a Cherokee Purple and SunGold in bloom, and two Early Girls that aren't? Ha! The Late Girls are right on course to not be Early Girls in this year's garden. Once plants start blooming, I imagine to myself that they are begging me to put them in the ground so they can get on with doing their business. So far, I'm ignoring the pleas by CP and SunGold to put them in the ground or in large containers, but my average last freeze date is next week and I do have that row cover. Anything could happen.

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Comments (6)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years ago
Hi Lee, Thanks for the heads up! Surprisingly, I'm not itching to get tender plants in the ground yet---the temperature roller coaster has me being very cautious. Hope your planting season is going well.

Dawn
jacoblockcuff (z5b/6a CNTRL Missouri
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I've been taking my time with things. This just feels like a year with late frosts and cool weather. Thanks for the heads up.
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AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 years ago
I pouted a little when I saw this, but I'm so far behind it's probably good for me.
Rebecca (7a)
8 years ago
I've felt good about putting cool weather stuff in, but not so much warm weather. This is OK.
Megan Huntley
8 years ago
This time of year, I tend to stalk the temperature forecast and mesonet like a crazy ex-girlfriend (I know I'm not the only one in this group who does - LOL) and can attest that overnight lows are trending slightly lower than they have for this time compared to the last 2 years... where I am in Central Oklahoma. I agree with jacoblockcuff. I have had tomatoes in the ground by April 1 the last few years and unless things make a drastic pattern change, I'm going to hold off.