Although I don't plan it this way, this is pretty much how the timeline works out: First you have to have a few ratty old blankets & sheets. Then, when the nighttime temps get down to about 35°, you run outside with'em and carefully cover up the plants you're most worried about. This stage will often continue for 10 or more days. As the nighttime temps fall and the morning dew becomes ever heavier, you'll probably need to add to your stash of plant covers. I recommend nearly-worn-out rugs & towels. Ignore the dirty looks your neighbors give you on the days you don't have time to remove the covers before leaving for work. In my area Ma Nature usually begins to get serious about the whole Fall thing the 2nd week of October, sometimes with nighttime temps as low as 29°F. When this happens, a body has to shift into overdrive. First you must snatch any and all quilts, comforters, etc. off the beds, drag them outside, and heave them over the plants. Then back inside to the bathroom - grab every single towel you've got and artfully arrange them over the quilts & comforters. If you're still not sure, go for the throw rugs. Because all this stuff can get pretty heavy, you may have to haul a few chairs/stepstools/ladders outdoors to hold the weight off the plants. Remember, don't worry about the neighbors. Odds are that within a few days of you being left with no household linens the first real Hard Frost will occur. Here, Big Frost Day always starts off bright, warm, & sunny. You won't be at all worried about frost because earlier in the week the weatherguy told you not to be. On the way home from work you may notice that it's getting a wee bit cloudy - but you're still not worried as you once again go through the now-familiar nightly ritual of plant-covering. After supper you'll be watching the news on TV, all toasty in your jammies, and that damned liar of a weatherman will come on and cheerily inform you that there's a Hard Frost Warning for tonight. This news will play utter havoc with your happy thoughts and for a second - just a second! - you'll consider leaving your precious plants to fend for themselves. Then that little part of your mind that's somewhat unhinged will kick in and you'll leap to your feet and head to the rescue. After you've taken 5 or 6 steps you'll come to realise that it's raining and you're wearing slippers. Oh well, this won't take long! First you have to lift and drag the soaking-wet rugs, towels, sheets, old sweatshirts & boxer shorts, quilts, tablecloths, comforters, doilies, bedskirts, curtains, pillow shams, armrest covers, and every single afghan Grandma ever gave you off the plants without breaking anything. Obviously, this'd be a lot easier if it wasn't so dark. After all the coverings have been lumped in a giant, muddy heap, you can begin carrying the pots indoors. Well, I say 'carrying', but since the icy-cold rain is now pouring down, the pots will, by this time, be completely soaked. And really, really heavy. I'm pretty sure that cold water weighs more than warm. So drag/lug/roll the pots inside to their winter homes. For mine this is the carpeted front porch, which is horribly unfortunate, of course, since all the freakin' throw rugs will be outside in the soon-to-be-mouldering heap. Once you have all the plants inside that can fit, be sure to pick up the worms, chunks of mud, and gobbets of stuck-together leaves that fall off the bottoms. Before shutting the door to the porch you need to locate any cats or other small animals/children and remove them (they'll be digging in the pots). Luckily, you don't need to worry about cleaning anybody's paws since there're no dry towels. At this point you may want to remove your slippers and toss them outside. The first hard frost never happens on a Friday or Saturday night so you'll absolutely have to go to work the day after. Try not to worry about the neighbors... And that's how I decide when to bring in the plants.

I've trasported my large koi before by purchasing a large tuperware bin with a lid. Place the fish's pond water in the bin about 1/3 to 1/2 full, then add your fish. In the lid, you'll need to puncture a tiny hole for an air tube. Run the air tube to the bottom of the tub under the water and seal the lid on tightly. I used heavy duty duct tape to prevent any splashing. Then attach the air tube to a battery operated air pump that you can get at any aquarium store. Don't forget to bring along extra batteries. It was a bumpy ride but all of my fish survived it. P.S. You might want to do the same with the Beta in a separate container or your lap could end up soaked every time you hit a bump in the road! It also may be best to put your poor old kitty in a covered cat carrier for the trip as well. The stress of riding in a moving vehicle for an old cat could result in a lap full of much worse than water! (Been there too, unfortunately)! Good luck with your move.

We're "mapped" as a Zone 5, but it acts more like a Zone 4 here, and early June is our planting-out date. I can put them out sooner if I make a tent for them in the greenhouse and keep it warm at night or during cold snaps. We'll have random cold nights and even a couple snows or frosts through most of June, so we need to keep on our toes. Starting indoors in January or early February, the plants are often so large they need two potting up sessions and it gets to where there is no room to place them where they still get enough light. Leaves begin to drop and I end up deep- or trench-planting 3-foot tall twigs. So I aim for late February germinating and get them out to the gh when room gets too tight indoors, usually sometime in May. I deal with the weather then as it's dealt to us, every season is a little different by a few weeks. Inside the unheated gh, with simple tents or covers for the plants, it only takes some Christmas lights or a small 60-watt bulb and a small fan to keep them happy, even when it dips down to 15 or so outside. Colder than that, I must add a small heater in the gh proper. A remote thermometer and frequent visits keep me advised. We enjoyed our first tom on the 3rd of July last season, that's the earliest ever for us. If I wait till mid-March to germinate, I don't have to deal with heating them in the gh as much, but it's also getting into late July or August for ripeness and late-season types barely squeek in before frost, so I need as early a start as I can manage. Too early comes with its own set of problems. But, if you can pot up adequately and give the whole plant lots of light (not just their tops from an overhead shop light), plus handle the much trickier hardening off and planting out of these overlarge "seedlings," it can work to your advantage. Since you have just the one or a few early starts, maybe just keep it to a large pot and set outdoors when it's a good time. That way, you can always haul it back in if there's a late frost or for hardening off. Just protect it from strong winds so it won't blow over! I also sell a few plants and getting that just-right combo of good size and vigorous health always helps sell them. Spindly, sickly too-early plants or too-late, too-small don't work. Timing your own season is the key, with proper light and space to grow indoors till then. -Ed

Bate181, How old and at what stage are your plants? When you say shallow, small cells ... What size? One sprout or several each? How many sprouts do you have and how many plants do you want to end up with? If you have many but only want a few you can take more risk and run some experiments for yourself. Sixpack containers are great for first stage transplants. Single serving yogurt cups anything like that with a couple small holes in the bottom or low on the side. I prefer the bottom because I bottom water only. If you are in zone 9, you won't need to do more thn one transplanting prior to setting out. I believe that filtered sun, protection from much more than a breeze and temps between 50-75F for and hour or so anytime you can give it to them is good even before true leaf stage. Increasing a hr. or so every few days as weather permits but they are somewhat fragile and as Dave mentions it is easy to fry them from sun or wind. Have Fun!