I also have always followed the usual rule of thumb, and still have been bit a few times doing that. But [wincingly] I have started *way* early on some vegs this year. Not the tomatoes, peppers, squash. The world seemed to so truly believe it was spring....

On the other hand, there is a small pile of old scrap sheets and rocks ready in the garage, and I stuck rerod in here and there to hold up said sheets when I planted. I've already used them twice over the last month and a half for frost/freeze warnings.

Got more confident over the last couple of weeks. Wrongo.... There's a frost/freeze warning for tonight....
The sheets are out again.

Things have been ok, but it has been too much watching of the weather, and fuss. Won't do that again. Next year, I will wait til Memorial Day, as per usual!

It's not paranoia if the weird weather is actually out to get you [wry grins].

Well, I had NO room in the Inn, so to speak, so a lot of the potted tropicals and patio plants went OUT of the greenhouse last weekend. Of course, I had to scurry and gather them up in the sheltered corners of the patio under the big maple tree and throw tarps and blankets over them the last two nights.

I also got overly anxious and planted out 12 one gallon astilbes I bought at Lowe's $3 perennial sale a month ago, for the same reason, no more greenhouse room. Had to cover those with pots. Even through the plastic, there was some frozen tissue, but hopefully they'll be OK. If not, the blooms may be lost, but the plants will be fine.

Otherwise, I've been waiting.

However, I HAVE to get things out of the greenhouse. I need to sow probably another 40 flats of stuff, the warm weather crops mostly -- corns, squash, various flowers. I have ZERO room in there, in fact, I have the central aisle down to a one foot wide corridor with just enough room to walk and water.

I also need to STOP going to the Oakland County farmers market and garden centers and buying new, tender plants.

I hate getting a backlog of things that need attention and are sitting there saying "well, if you weren't going to take care of me, why did you buy me in the first place."

I am optimistic that the worst of it is over. The 6-10 and 8-14 Long Range forecasts from the Climate Prediction Center have us above normal.

I hope someone will remind me of all this when I'm covering stuff in late May!

I have managed to mostly restrain myself, by staying very busy doing other things. I did buy a Incrediball Hydrangea at Meijers, supposed to be the newest and best in hydrangeas. Saved on no shipping!

However, it has spent a lot of nights in my house, going out on the porch during sunny days. Has lots of leaves, flower buds from being a nursery plant, too tender for our HEAVY frosts the last couple mornings.

I don't buy any annuals until late in the month. Don't have time to deal with them, and worry about losing them with the cold. No counter space this year for starting plants, hoping for NEXT year when the new laundry room is done! I am enjoying all the tough plants blooming now. Tree Peonies are opening, seem to be holding up OK in the rain and wind. Flowering shrubs are doing good, some blooming for the first time.

Lost some seedlings to the cold and damp. Started some toms from seed in April but the temps outside have been so cool that they are still only about an inch tall. No place to keep them in my apt and because of that week of warm weather we had earlier, I had to already put up my sunshade above my glass doors where I usually kept tom seedlings. Definitely a weird spring so far.