This time of year I check the long range forecast a couple of times each week. I only moved outdoors the things that would be easy to move back in - which is what I will be doing tomorrow. The greenhouse (which is actually a hoophouse which I try to seal up tight and heat like a greenhouse) is such a monster to open up for the summer that I have learned to be patient. I only want to open up all four walls when it is really summertime.

After I move the plants back inside the greenhouse I will get all the blooming fruiting plants in the garden covered with Remay just to try and protect their blossoms. My yard tends to dip a few degrees colder than what the weather man says.

True!! I did check the long range forecast!! But it turned on me for this week!! It is a cold week for sure!!

I am thinking of taking the moringa in tonite too!!

Stores put out these infant veggie plants just too early. Against my better judgement I bought one of those compressed peat pots with two wee eggplant. Glad I didn't plant it yet. Even on the covered porch it was quite limp this morning and I know it didn't get to freezing here. At 7am I took it indoors and in a bright light window it recovered during the day but it will be weeks before this heat loving plant will be safe to plant in the ground. Probably have to score the peat and plant the whole thing into a larger pot til late April.

Ever feel like you are adopting instead of just buying a one season plant?

I had some volunteer veggies pop up and planted a few peppers that needed out of pots. The weatherman said nothing about frost for my area, so I didn't protect them. Went out yesterday, and they're all wilted and dark like a frost hit. My husband tried to convince me at Easter to plant everything...glad I didn't listen.

I saw the same thing for the tender new leaves on my fig plants.. They are wilted.. The temps are gonna be really low this weekend. I have not planted any veggies yet too!. Last frost date is April 15th for our location..

I kept an eye on the two thermometers out on my porch and for most of the late night/early morning it stayed around 28 degrees, it did drop to 25 for bit right before sunrise. Odd things were damaged or not damaged - native persimmons were ruined but the Asian persimmons are fine. Kiwis were burnt but pawpaws came through it fine.

True!! My hardy Kiwis are toast!!! the 2 big seedling pawpaws are alive, the foot long Shenandoah is looking dead! The celeste fig is ok, but the small black mission and black turkey are damaged; the "wonderful" and "red silk" pomegranates do not look like they will ever come back to life..the exception is the Russian "salavatski" ; it survived.

This month has been a disaster for a lot of fruit plants for me. My Mexican lime and Meyer lemon, I am praying they leaf out soon... ...they are still inside the sunroom. I will take them out in may...

And I'll betcha this cold snap didn't kill a single inchworm up in the trees.

I can plant later but it's the intensity of the sunlight and the summer heat, air pollution and humidity that are the greater challenges for me. I'm off to the big box store to buy sunbrella fabric to fashion a covered area of the garden. Also to shield a sentimental hydrangea I hope enough to prevent it's daily limp upper leaves from the harsh sun. It won't blossom unless I get it under some kind of sun shield.

I plan to fashion a sunbrella covered arbor out of my grandkid's crib components. Yuck, more holes to dig and posts to set in the ground.

Inch worm you say!! Hehe, the short winter has brought all the 7th and nth cousins of the fire ants from all places into my yard.!! I mean you just cannot step in the yard without looking down.

Sentimental Hydrangeas indeed!! LOL.. Whoever said plants don't have emotions!! Ha!

Oh, and I bet your kiwis will resprout soon as the weather is more even.

Oh Dottie,

That is so sweet !! You think maybe classical music in the evening might sway it to flower ?? I sing to my plants, all kinds of tunes in many languages... They are multilingual now!! I think they are confused enough to grow to any tune, lest I stop singing!!

Instead of a towel, Your idea of a fancy awning on the downspout just above the plant is a great idea.. You can move it up as the plant grows!! hehe!! Good luck.. You can always change the top to the season!!

You got a smile on my face again!! I do hope the Kiwis and the pomegranates sprout.. The wait is the most painful part...

well this time my yard only got down to 28 degrees so there will be little damage. Hopefully this is the last frost for this year.

For the statistically-inclined, there are two sites that summarize this information for various locations.

NCSU has a table of Average Last Spring Frost Dates for Selected North Carolina Locations with average dates and standard deviations. Its introduction text was incorrectly pasted from the fall dates. For the last spring frost, the average date plus one standard deviation gives the date before which there is 84% chance of a frost being the last one (98% for two standard deviations). And then there is the table of Average First Fall Frost Dates for Selected North Carolina Locations

climate-charts.com has 10, 50, and 90% dates for individual locations, for example RDU airport (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Charlotte is a whole different climate from Raleigh area, especially in the colder months. It didn't get anywhere near the predicted 28 degrees here but Saturday's wind I think scudded that system passed us quicker than expected but that's good.

That darn wind was a witch in Willmington yesterday. It was clocked at 47 MPH gusts...trying holding onto a tent with that! Many of my friends lost their tents, and one friend who sells Epi's had most of her inventory damaged. Good news is it only got down to 33 at our place last night. We were hit Tuesday with 28 but had everything covered fine... Spring!!!!

Lorabell, I can relate to the windy windy weather in wilmington.... I used to do the Azalea fest and it was that cold and windy!!! I dont do it anymore!!

Stay warm, my friend!! Spring Indeed!!!

From your mouth to the one up there!! I hope you are listening!! No more cold!!! and, frost, forget about it!! Pleaseeeee. Thanks in advance!!!

Hopefully the freezing temps are behind us. I had a little damage last weekend, I did cover a few things though. I hope everyone's plants survived.

so this is the end of the freezing temps??? I am so eager to transplant a few veggies to the garden. Predictions anyone?

I live closer to Charlotte and I am hoping it is the end of our freezing temps. The last frost date is normally April, 15th

So.... I am guessing it is safe to transplant veggie plants in the garden??