So this happened last week… By the time the snow stopped we had about 3/4 of an inch.
Since we are new to the Chicago area I’m in the habit of looking at the weather every morning, most of the time before I even get out of bed. The day I took this photo I looked at the overnight low and noticed it was saying 26.
Time to call my Plantswoman.
After I planted my herb container Susan and I talked about when to put my herb container outside. We estimated it should be okay to put them outside once the weather was reliably above freezing just to give the little guys a head start. I am in a zone 5B and the plants in my container should be hardy to 10 degrees. I put the planter outside about a week ago and the herbs wilted a little in protest. By the time our 70 degree day came over the weekend they were so happy. As I talked with Susan, over text, the forecast went from 26 to 24 and snowing. ARG! To be on the safe side we pulled the planter back to it’s inside perch in our (mostly) south facing window.
What was at stake here? Happier plants. We could have left them out there in the cold and snow but they wouldn’t have come out of it looking very appetizing. We are past the Almanac’s frost date but even then it’s 50% chance.
Let’s talk lessons learned…
- Check the weather. Just like your kids and pets, your plants may need an extra layer of protection here and there until the threat of frost and freezing temps are really, really over.
- Had the temperature not dipped so low we could have gotten away with lightly draping the container with a pillow case or light fabric.
Jen planted lettuce last week. Since I want to get a jump on getting my lettuce going too, I checked the Almanac to see when our last frost should be and they said April 20th. I’ll check one more time before planting though. Those containers are heavy and the thought of housing two of them inside won’t make me or those plants happy.
What are you planting, or getting ready, to plant?
