I would certainly try it. Normally I put potted hyacinths straight out into the garden as soon as they finish flowering and they finish dying down outside. They flower next outdoors next spring but with slightly smaller blooms. They will then continue for many years. Since it is probably too cold where you are to plant them outside now I would pot them up and put them somewhere moderately cool, like a glazed porch, and bring them into a warmer room when they are a couple of cm tall and you see flower buds. Next time you get potted hyacinths forget the bag and the fridge. Just plant them straight outside when the flowers fade.

If the planters are permanent fixtures on the outer edge of your balcony, I would suggest 2 choices: A] Plant now and redig [be careful with new roots] after first night cold enough to start the soil freezing; store in unheated room/refrigerator in slightly damp peat moss; mist occasionally to prevent drying out. Replant in spring. B] Keep refrigerated until after last springtime killing frost, then plant; mist occasionally to prevent drying out. Anything already sprouting/sprouts green will be limited to option A. If you can move the planters against the house wall, plant now and move the planter after the first killing frost. Then insulate it against sub-freezing temps. What you want to avoid is freezing/thawing cycles that will damage the roots the bulbs will grow before full dormancy. The freesias and anything else sub-tropical, you will have to treat as houseplants until nighttime spring temps rise above 45 degrees.

Its nice to hear from so many of you and some of you who are not so far away ... I am in St Marys County , not far from you Sunnibel and Mootgirl ? Because of health reasons I didn't get to plant my kale and collards this past fall ... We made another raised bed friday, the soil is warmer than I expected so I was jonesing to plant some veggies yesterday, so I decided to go for it , I planted kale, collards, spinach, vitamin green, lettuce and watercress yesterday ... we covered it with a tarp just in case this rain we are getting today decides to get heavy and then we will uncover it tomorrow , supposed to be 50s all week , a little cold a few nights but hoping it will be okay ... I don't have the big garden spot ready yet but need to do it soon , I want to plant out some radishes and snap peas asap ... Thank you all for all the great advice ! Bring on Spring ! Iris

I am in zone 6 in southern Ohio. It is hot but you can still start peas. I planted mine in seed starter cells on my deck and kept them well watered (be careful though because too much water will rot them) so the soil temp wasn't too hot. They grew just fine and I transplanted them in my garden last week. They are still doing well. Along with peas I have broccoli growing on my deck in seed cells. I kept them in the shade but as soon as they started sprouting moved them to a sunny spot (they will get leggy fast if you don't). You could always pre-sprout seeds in a damp paper towel in the house if you are worried about the temperatures. I will plant lettuce and spinach but not yet, it is still too hot. Btw, I live in zone 6a, close to areas in zone 6b.