As a weather hobbyist for almost 50 years (I have my own PWS), I always look at multiple sites twice a day to get a consensus forecast. Most of the commercial forecasting sites here in the U.S. set up algorithms that pick one (U.S.) model - usually the (global) GFS - to generate those point forecasts. In some cases, they may add some climatology factors to adjust the temps up or down depending on time of year.

But what a gardener needs to learn for themselves over time, is what type of microclimates they have at their property - e.g., is their yard at the bottom of a hill (frost pocket where cold air drains down and settles there)? Is the property at a higher elevation (may run cooler) or near large bodies of water like lakes or ocean (may run warmer) or near woods (runs warmer) or surrounded by farmland away from developments (tends towards radiational cooling) or nestled in the midst of a dense area of housing in an urban area (runs warmer)? Is it near a beach or desert (whether "low" or "high") and/or has sandy soil, etc (tends to generate radiational cooling)? All of these circumstances will add or subtract degrees.

I know my temps tend to run about 3-5F cooler than the primary ("official") airport temp (some 20 miles away from me) but a few degrees warmer than a secondary airport which is closet to me. So it helps to have a thermometer and/or temp probe in your main growing area just to see what actually happens vs the forecast.

I just checked the weather again and it seems I may have dodged a bullet this time. They have ratcheted up the temps - now two forecasts are showing a low of 36 and high of 46 and little to no snow. I am going to do what Jenny suggests and get an outdoor thermometer so I can keep track of my exact location and how it behaves relative to the forecasts. I’ll keep you guys updated on how they fare also.

Jenny, I agree with you re importance of knowing one's micro climate. In fact I just put a thermometer outside.

By the way, my Apple weather ap and Weather Underground both predicted a low of 29F last night and, according to those aps, it went to 21F.

Laura, love the new picture!

I think we should all post recent pics of our Citrus collection once they are finally enjoying some NORMAL early April weather..., OUTSIDE.

Wow, Laura, I hope the weather cooperates with you. I, myself, have remote thermometers, one for outside temps and one in the greenhouse. That way I can monitor the temps and differences between what it is outside and what it is in the greenhouse. I have the monitors in the house, so I don't have to go out in the cold to check the temperature in the greenhouse. Lol.

Our night time temps are supposed to be around 38 Saturday. So I think I'm in the clear, but to be safe I moved my smaller plants back inside, leaving my large citrus outside. If you do throw a tarp over your trees, try to keep it up off of the plants themselves. That way you wont have any damage. Do you have access to frost blankets? I have used them in the past and they work pretty well.

I feel for those of you in the snow zone. I hate that messy stuff! (Said the Southerner!) Lol. Good luck everyone.

Thanks Vlad! My teenagers like selfies! Jeez, it sounds like your microclimate is colder! I will post pics of some of mine in maybe an April thread? They look remarkably good for being inside with some pest issues. I am going to spray them down with HO, but was waiting till it was a bit warmer and they’d had a chance to acclimate outdoors a bit.

Bonnie, thanks. We must have been typing at the same time! I don’t have frost blankets but should order some to have on hand. I need to research the thermometers a bit.

Laura, I just went to my local Lowe's to get my thermometers. My newest one shows barometric pressure, indoor and outdoor temperatures, highs and lows, and of all things moon phase. I think that one cost under fifty bucks.

Again, good luck.

Laura, Amazon has a lot of indoor/outdoor thermometers. Get a wireless type.

I grow frost sensitive plants to be placed around the yard and roof to monitor the airport temperature that causes death in each of many locations in my yard. I have been doing this for 25 years. It has helped a lot in keeping my citrus trees safe with out constant lugging of trees.

Steve

Big issue I have with the thermometers is accuracy and precision.

Keep an eye out for sales on the frost blankets at the end of season.

Redneck, you think you can complain about the cold and snow?! Nice try. I don't know what's worse the freakin' weather or the bit/hin' about the weather from the locals after a LONG Winter, LOL. We hit near 60 today..., totally NOT predicted and all snow was removed from the local forecast. Not sure about DC.

jenny_in_se_pa, can you recommend an accurate thermometer that's not too high-end? I don't trust most inexpensive digital or dial ones to be accurate from one unit to the next, so it's impossible to tell which ones are good just by reading reviews, etc.

jurasico, I can't complain about the weather too much, we only get about 4 or 5 inches of snow a year. Which is way too much for me. I would not move any further north than where I am. I feel for you, who deal with it in feet. I would be totally freaked out. My hubby talks about moving back to Colorado, and I just say bye... Lol!

Oh Laura! I felt for you when I read your email that you had put your trees all outside already. You even have almost too many limes and lemons to bring in again easily. I almost did the same myself and then remembered how I set them all back for weeks when I put them outside too early the last two years and we got those freak coldspells. Mine all need to go out to help get rid of those pesky bugs, but I am so glad I waited. I think you dodged the bullet though as the forecast is looking better. I have thermometers metering areas all over my house and growing areas and several outdoors too. Most are pretty accurate within a degree or maybe two. The digital ones don't last more than a year or two for me though. They still work but the degital readout on the screen starts to disappear from the high humidity levels. Anyone coming in my house must think I am crazy with all those remote units in my kitchen, but they really help me to understand all the microclimates I have. I can see what is going on in all those areas without having to go out and check them. I am always pushing the climatic limits of new areas to grow my plants so the remote thermometers really help me to keep my eye on everything. I also monitor several weather forecasts too. I had a real laugh this morning when Weather Underground told me my temperature in Northern NJ was 104°F with a real feel of 114°F and and low forecast to be 30°F tonight! It was only 30°F outside at that moment. Weather Underground is usually pretty accurate for my area, but every once in a while I get one of these strange readings. They fixed the mistake after a couple of hours. I bought some of those tree frost bags a couple of years ago to test how long I could keep my trees out in the fall, but never used them as the temperature dropped drastically low suddenly and I didn't want to risk taking the chance. They will come in handy though in a situation like you are having. Usually if I throw blankets and quilts over my plants they are ok. But plastic and plastic tarps usually don't work so well unless I use them over the blankets if I think it will rain or snow. I risked a Poncircus trifoliata this fall and it was unexpectedly badly damaged when the temperatures dropped quickly last fall and I had to bring it in. It lost all its leaves, but it started sprouting all over 2 weeks ago although it looked dead all winter. I had expected it would have been more cold tolerant especially as it was up against the greenhouse wall. I would bring the sensitive ones like lemons and limes in for a while yet, but the others will probably be ok with blankets. The covers need to go all the way to the ground though. I use rocks and bricks to kep them pinned down. Good luck. I hope they will be ok. I think we have another week of cold weather it looks like.

Cory

Thanks guys! I looked on Amazon last night and found a few wireless one that I am debating between. Cory, thank you. Funny, just before I read your message I was thinking of you and wondering how you’ve been. Ramona is fine...after the limb dieback, she sprouted a big one in the center that is now branching out. I may use her as my friendship tree and graft other things on once she is more developed while leaving a branch of her own. I wonder how that would work out....

The weather looks ok...the consensus from three forecasts is possibly a low of 36-37 which would only last for about an hour. It is 43 now and it should go up to 46 before starting to dip again. The next few days will be in the 40s, but no apparent frost danger. I know they will not be happy, but they have been fine thus far. Frankly the biggest issues have been the winds and my large puppy. I was out most of the day yesterday to come home to about 6 trees tipped over. The day before it was even worse with the wind....so many got tipped over! It was awful! My poor Villafranca lemon was entirely uprooted. It totally unstable now in the mix because it has been yanked out so many times. Makes me sad. The canopy of some of my trees is just too big for the pot and they easily get picked up by the wind (or a running 80lb puppy). I repotted it yesterday and now have two bricks around the stem to temporarios hold it down for the next few days until the weather improves and I can repot it. My first thing to do today is to head over to Sam’s again and buy a few more pots if they still have them. I may drill the holes inside today to get them ready. My Bearss lemon also looks terrible after falling down many times, plus the cold....

I hope it warms up soon for everyone and that we actually get spring weather before the heat of summer begins.

hibiscus - I bought a NIST-traceable thermometer that I use to calibrate the consoles and probes - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQMIJOK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

lucky - I have this - https://www.amazon.com/Ambient-Weather-WS-10-C-8-Channel-Thermo-Hygrometer/dp/B017SZ7RBY/ref=pd_sim_201_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B017SZ7RBY&pd_rd_r=H4KHN2H87A7AJZTY8BBT&pd_rd_w=lxCUu&pd_rd_wg=d580a&psc=1&refRID=H4KHN2H87A7AJZTY8BBT&dpID=51rKpExoXML&preST=SY300_QL70&dpSrc=detail

which takes up to 8 sensors (I have 7 sensors on mine - most indoors and one outside in my raised bed Vegtrug). Amazon has the console only (above link) for $25 and each probe is about $15 - $16 (depending on whether you just get the temp one or both temp and humidity). They also have one that comes with 3 probes for ~$51.

I also have this one to have a console in my bedroom too - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4XVKAO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That model comes with one sensor. Both console models can be set to rotate through the readings for all of the sensors that you have (up to 8).

This is in addition to my PWS (an Ambient 1001 wifi - although there is a newer model of that now) that itself is a large sensor and includes a sensor probe for indoors and a console.

You just have to keep in mind they work best within a certain distance of the console (usually no more than 150 ft) and walls/windows can drop that effective distance down a bit.

awesome, I didn't realize NIST traceable/compliant could be fairly affordable.

Sorry to hear that your poor trees are getting knocked over from the wind, Laura. Can you move them closer to the house and in a more sheltered location away from direct wind? Is it possible to put some of the pots close together in a form and bungee tie them (pots) together so they are able to help support each other? The bricks will help also. I would move your Bearrs Lemon back indoors until the temperature is up and more stable. My tree is planted by a door in the gh and the bottom leaves suffer when my husband leaves the door partially propped open when he carries wood in and out to stack in the wood room by the stove. I made a half size screen from insulated bubble wrap which gives some protection.. the leaves do not like the cold wind.. We had a big snow storm this week and the winds were pretty strong. We went from bare ground to about a foot of snow covering, and it is still snowing. For everyone who is dealing with this crazy winter pattern, hang in there! Stay warm and cozy!

Thanks Jinny. The bears is looking sad no doubt. I’ll put it near the house at the very least. I need to go water it again because it has basically been uprooted so many times that it is like staring with a bare root transplant. Ugh.

Something Bonsai growers do that I’ve been meaning to try is to use wire to secure the thicker, woodier roots to the bottom of the pot through the drainage holes. This way the roots are really secure and the wind can’t really uproot the tree, all it can do is maybe knock it over. Good luck Laura with all of your trees in this extended cold weather; I’m sure your trees will look amazing in a month or two like they always do!

Laura, did you get the plant stands like I have? When I put my trees outside I turn the plant stand upside down and wedge the tree pot between the legs. It keeps the trees from blowing over, at least most of the time. Some of your pots may now be too large to wedge in between the legs, but maybe some will fit. If I keep them on the stand I pound 4 bamboo stakes into the ground evenly around the pot/stand. Then I wire or tie the four stakes at the top to hold them tight to the pot. They have not blown over either. You could do the same thing if the pots are directly on the ground. I usually raise my pots off the ground to try to keep bugs and slugs out.

Cory

Laura. I am so sorry to hear this about the wind. The wind here has been terrible. Over 50 miles per hour and most days gusty..Crazy. I hear you on the spring. I'm hoping we get some warm weather and not just jump right into hot to be shortly lived.

Will you be getting ok with your set up? Are the trees showing any yellowing at all? Any signs of stress ?

You know last night the thought did occur to me that your choice of mix makes a huge difference on whether your trees succeed or not and use a great one that allows the roots to be cold and moist without rot. If you were using a fine mix that holds water too long I'd be much more concerned but at least that is something you can relax about. Good choice.

The mix choice us northerners use can make all the difference between life and death with our trees. Great foresight ))

Mike

Hey Mike! So the low appears to have been 37 in my area and the trees seemed fine this morning. This is the last night I see in the 30s...it’s low-mid 40s and up after today. I did move the true lemons up close to the house and they seem fine. As for yellowing, no not yet. I see no sign of stress so far nor do the leaves look damaged. Only one has a few sunburned leaves, but all others look good. As I said, the wind and dogs have been the biggest problems so far. I got more big pots yesterday and will start moving them into those (the larger trees) when it’s a bit warmer. Cory, I never found those stands although I have looked in the Christmas stores around. Some of my pots are too big though. Jinny, the problem with bungeing some together is that the ones that are most vulnerable have large canopies that would smash up against the other trees. The bricks are helping for now and I have the pots and mix ingredients ready to go to start. I also need to prune, spray, and fertilize....soon! Thanks for all the help and support guys!

Pac, I forgot about your comment. Yeah, I’ve done that with the few bonsai I have. I’ll have to think about it...not a bad idea at all.

I think I may have said this before. In bonsai, the saying is tie the plant to the pot, tie the pot to the bench and then tie the bench to the ground. I always tie the plant to the pot no matter what size it is. Here is an example for a small pot with wires:

The center screen is missing in the above pic.

This is the plant tied at the base. Strong enough to be able to lift the pot by the stem of the plant. These are 1.5mm aluminum bonsai wire.

Need to keep a watch on that wire around the stem so that it does not bite into the bark/cambium as the stem thickens. You can re-tie it when you suspect that. To protect the bark one can also slip a piece of narrow plastic tubing on the wire before tying.

This has to be one of the latest times I have had to wait to bring out the subropicals (Citrus, cycads, and others). Tomorrow, will be MOVING them the he// OUT day. It was in the mid 80's today, 80's tomorrow, then into the 40's for highs for a day (but minimums also around 40). It seems like our Springs weather is now either HOT or COLD. I'm an East Coast person, but these insane swings make me long for California and a gentler climate. I know..., the grass is always greener!

I am a zone pusher and i operate in only 2 seasons: April 15 start summer till October 15, the other half is winter.

Tree's don't go in the yard till April 15, right now they go in and out. My big fig containers go in the garage in less than 15 minutes, all 10 of them.

My citrus go in the workshop in about the same time. So April 15 they go outside till about October 15. This is in my area, been doing it for years now.

We are not going to see the sunshine for at least 11 days, snow prediction for the end of this week, won't have proper spring this year, our nighttime temperatures are still below freezing every night.

That's ridiculous Sunshine! I feel so bad for you. I thought I had it bad. 31 all day today windy and nothing warmer than 50 with clouds in the ten day forecast. There is something wrong with the weather and frightens me.

Good luck. Maybe we will get a week or two if summer.

Sunshine, I hear you and can emphasize with you. We are in the midst of our second blizzard in two weeks. Our spring will be short. My daffodils started to come up when the temperature briefly warmed up but now they are buried by the snow.

Mike, this kind of weather pattern frightens me too. I am in a wrong growing zone :))

Jinny, I hate dark, gloomy days that go for a long periods, it affects my mood, my trees are confused and shedding flower buds like crazy, only my bearss lime is holding on to it's flowers and tiny fruit. All that is while they are indoors, have not taken them out yet this year.

I’m sorry for all you guys still dealing with awful weather!!! We absolutely roasted outside yesterday. I had to hose down my trees to cool them off since they’re not summer hardy yet. Then today it’s cool. Tuesday, it’s going to like 40 for a low! I know that’s great compared to many of you, but the temp fluctuations are rough. Some of my trees have dropped more leaves outside than inside! As a warning to some of you dealing with pest issues and then bringing your trees outside, be very careful with the HO/neem oil residue on the leaves. I took mine out and thoroughly rinsed them off with the hose - or so I thought. Well, some of them have burns on the leaves with oil residue and have dropped those. I know they’ll recover, but it’s annoying.

I got some of the Citrus out yesterday but still a lot of work to do. I transplanted a few. I don’t use gritty mix so moved a few back into shelter due to deluge of rain prediction for tomorrow. Lots of Citrus flowering though. Yeah, so after two days in the mid 80’s (areas of coastal NJ got to 87 F.), now it’s in the 40’s with temps rising overnight. This winter was/is hellishly long..., and weird!

I hear you jurasico! The temp fluctuations are wild! Seems we may stabilize a bit for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of transplanting to do myself, but have been waiting for them to acclimate to the outside and then for reasonable weather...

Man, it has been a crazy spring! Here in south west Arkansas, the temperatures have been all over the place! Last night and tonight low's in the upper 30's. Then warming back up again. Two days ago, daytime high was in the 80's! Think I will be glad to see the heat of summer. Lol!

I feel for those of you still suffering thru snow.

My trees seem to be doing ok, tho' the cold, (last Week), did nip back the new growth on the Buddha's Hand, it seems to be recovering. And the high winds Friday did blow the Key Lime and Kumquat over, causing a couple of small limbs to break. But it could have been worse. The tornadoes went to the north of us, with no loss of life. Thank you, Lord!

It is cold (in the 30s F) and dark here today. But, looking at the long range forecast I see that the highs will be from 50 to 60F with lows of 35 to 45 F. So no frost is expected. All trees, except for 3 trifoliates, are still in the greenhouse. I don't plan on putting them out for at least 2 weeks. Last frost free date is about May 15.

Laura, how did your trees fare? Regarding neem oil, my huge Meyer lemon had damaged leaves from the oil but the other 58 trees showed no damage, including a small Meyer.

I moved my figs 2 weeks ago from m,y cellar bulkhead to the greenhouse and they are all waking up and putting out leaves. I just moved my 2 huge figs into the greenhouse to wake them up. I plan on grafting 6 fig varieties on them as soon as they start waking up.

Yikes! And to think I was worried because we have a 40% chance of rain here tonight! Good luck to all the snow dwellers! We are still cooler than normal here, 60s and 40s, and a friend has just dropped off a bunch of tomatoes and peppers ready to go in the ground. The citrus is enjoying the weather though, as are the flowers!

KC

I spent the past couple days of 80s here getting my little patio garden cleaned up and ready to put all the inside-dwellers (overwintering), including the citrus, outside somewhere. I have 20+ container shrubs/perennials already out there (year round) and have had to rearrange some. I have a couple new citrus now that had never been out there before so space will be extremely tight (at least if I plan to have a place to sit somewhere out there...lol). Want to try to get the citrus and tender perennials (fig, salvia, lantana, fuchsia) out this coming week after the deluge and then all that will be left are the pure tropicals that won't go out until sometime in mid-late May (unless the temps suddenly stay warm for an extended time which I doubt).

The temp drop to have a high in the 40s today was pretty significant but at least I don't have to put the AC or heat on at the moment.

Good for you getting to get yours out Laura and all- "spring" has been slow to arrive here and mine are still inside but are doing well! I'm not really feeling the panic to get them outside that I usually feel. I think adding the vinegar treatment to my watering has really helped for whatever reason. Everyone seems to be doing well, I'm pleased.

I think by this weekend I will move them all to my sunroom and put them in the back by the wall to get them used to the higher light levels so hopefully I won't burn any leaves this year. The sunroom has a solid roof so they won't get scorched.

Hey everyone, here is an article that does not seem very encouraging but explains why our weather could be so whacked out ..At least it explains why the Jet Stream is so messed up and now ripples across the globe. I think I'm gong to move to an area where the High Pressure ridge that causes heat will be.(

For those getting all that snow, my heart bleeds for you all. I heard 18 inches and blizzard conditions. Here no hope in sight for warm springs or hot summer anymore. Welcome to the new norm.

http://www.iflscience.com/environment/melting-arctic-and-weird-weather-plot-thickens/

Beautiful pics KC! Hobby, glad your trees are well! Vladimir, my trees fared absolutely fine from the cold, however, as I mentioned, the residual oils on the leaves caused some damage. Even the new growth was unharmed and many are budding. Tonight it’s going down to low 40s...and tomorrow as well, but after that, all looks good. Mike, thanks for the article. I’ll read it later when I have a minute.

Meyermike, I informally noticed this tendency for our weather to get STUCK (in a RUT) for over a decade at least. I noticed it first with persistently WARM weather in the Autumn into early Winter. More recently, we are stuck in the COLD. Weather used to flow more regularly west to east and now you have this dramatic north-south and south-north patterns that dominate. All the while, the weather has gotten WEIRDER. From last night into the afternoon, we had very high, persistent winds (up to 60 mph) and over 4 inches of rain, then the sun came out and it was clear and beautiful (like when the weather dries out and gets beautiful after a hurricane). I have areas of standing water in the yard more regularly now. I anticipated this years ago as I am already low lying, so the back has been planted with Bald Cypress (and they can grow in water). Still chilly for the season (compared to normal), should be reliably into the 60's not 50's but at least frost is gone into the extended. I fully expect it to turn HOT as soon as the abnormal chill ends though. What Spring?! It's an illusion. All my Citrus are out though..., FINALLY.

Jurasico, so true. Good thinking on your part. We certainly are weatherr buffs and I too have been keeping track of the weather for years. I am beginning to feel like moving west where the ridge lifts upwards is the place I want to be, although then you are probably talking extreme heat and drought! We have to be in tune with the weather for us to succeed.

Use to be a time the jet stream use to retreat into Canada about now allowing a High Pressure ridge build of the coast here providing a Bermuda High which would persist for weeks, which is when we would get warmer springs and very hot summers. They have not happened for years to be replaced with cool springs and very short summers. Last year we were wearing sweat shirts most evenings even in July. It was nice, but strange. We did have a very warm February and the concern was that if that warmth lasted too long, everything would come out of dormancy too early and then killed with the arctic blast from the jet stream dipping south again. So irregular and more temperate. It is scary to see how it affects everything from bird migration to perennial growth. What scares me is that we are no longer safe from our last frost date since they can come into June now at this rate. So unpredictable. Hopefully a ridge will build in the East for a change and bring us summer as it is suppose to.

Why do you think the ridge favors the West verses the eastern half of the U.S. I have always wondered why the cold favors us instead of the warmth. Year after year it gets worst.

Here is the persistent wave you are talking about month after month year after year. Seems like the cold fronts are coming here every other day right through summer.

This is the way the map has been looking for years. The local old timer weathermen have said this is the new norm and not to expect the pattern to change much at all. If anything a break from the cold here and there and the cold or below averages will rule.

In other words, Ridiculously Resilient Ridges and Terribly Tenacious Troughs may become the norm, along with the weather woes they cause.

Laura, please do. It helps a lot with determining how to treat our citrus or what to expect. You will like it. By the way, hopefully you have been feeling much better these days. So good to see your trees are faring well too)

Mike

Meyer, I think we are in a transitional stage of sorts. I know the persistence of the Eastern trough and Western Ridge seem like an eternity, but it’s a micro nanosecond in the the grand scale of time. Systems are unstable until they reach a new equilibrium.., we aren’t there yet and don’t know what the end state is. The western drought zones seem to be moving east as the Gulf Stream becomes more sluggish. For Europe this may mean much colder winters, but it also seems related to warmer waters hugging the East Coast of the US (with implications for nor’easters and Hurricanes!) Time will tell, and apparently sooner rather than later! Things are changing much faster than expected. Expect more weirdness!

Jurasico, what I would do to have a nice conversation with you over a beer or coffee..You seems to like the weather as much as I do and seem to very very in tune with it where as many have not have a clue about what is going on. Seems like I am talking to many around here, meaning my local area, whom are disinterested or don't know what I am talking about. Thank God I can talk to people like Dick Albert or Harvey Leonard on my local news stations that say exactly what you are saying.

Our younger generation thinks it's all normal in fact. It does not phase them in the least.

Good points made my friend.

Mike

Very good conversation, Jurasico and Mike! A lot to think about, one should not ignore these things happening at the rate they are happening for the past 10-15 years. As I recall my observations, about a decade ago I started feeling strangely about weather, climate, human made disasters, merciless and cruel treatment of the environment. Sadly, it is all accelerating and I am afraid that we have already passed the tipping point.

I think you will find that most gardeners and horticulturalists are more sensitized to these changes because it directly impacts there daily chores and experiences and they can draw on a LIFETIME of experience; most people are CLUELESS and really estranged from their environment.

Jurasico, they are saying that the next three months are suppose to be colder than normal East of the Mississippi and the west warmer for the next two to three months. My God, I hope it's wrong)

Hopefully your weather is finally warming up.

Hey Mike - if you look at the topography of the U.S., you'll notice the western ridge tends to run up over BC and then right down and along the continental divide where chains of mountains start around mid-Colorado and run on a north/south axis all the way to the west coast. Meanwhile the trough rolls south under the Great Lakes (and you notice you don't have lakes like that, which IIRC were once glaciers, in Montana or Idaho or Washington State) nd back up along the gulf stream. I expect it has been pretty persistent like that for a long time but what is probably altering it is at the mesoscale level, there are more heat sink cities and an increase of developments in what was once open farmland.

It's crazy but we had a few flakes this past Tuesday mixed into the rain (luckily it WAS rain) and there were frost advisories/freeze warnings around SE PA and S. Jersey the past couple days (NWS starts issuing them in an area once the growing season "officially" starts or is about to end).

Got my 2 newest citrus out and my Australian red centre lime out. Plus put my fig out. Am trying to work out how to put the others out (and where so they are in as much shade as I can give them given the small area out there) and whether to try to do them all today (probably not since some are on the 2nd floor and some are in the basement and that means PITA lugging up or down steps). I may put my little meyer out.