Planting Out - Anyone Risked It Yet...

[Deleted]

Or thinking of risking in the next few days. I'm desparate to gain some space in my greenhouse so am tempted to get my Cosmos and Dahlias out in the next couple of days. Do you think it's worth the risk?

[Tig]

I dunno DG - but I have the same thoughts

I might risk the lobelia, some petunias, and my white sunflowers - but then again

I need to put my cucumbers / gherkins in the mini-growhouse, they are starting to attach themselves to anything within reach!
x Tig

[JennyWrenn]

I'm not risking it - havnt planted any seeds yet - very behind this year

[Susie Snowdrop]

Oooooh, think that might be a bit risky!! I'm not going to put anything out for at least another month! Then again, I am further up North than alot of you so, if you're lucky, you might get away with it

Don't forget that there is still the possibility of frosts!

S x

[farmersboy]

Apr 24, 2008 6:58:15 GMT JennyWrenn said:

I'm not risking it - havnt planted any seeds yet - very behind this year

Very behind what ;D

[Barbara]

i've put my dahlias out in pots. i can move them if frost threatens

[Dutchy]

As long as you can take the Dahlia back in you could do it.
I haven't even started them yet as I won't plant outside untill after May 17.
Don't know about cosmos but mine are still on the windowsill and very minute.
I did plant the onions outside but they are pretty hardy.
I suppose any hardy annual can go outside but not the less hardy ones like Dahlia or Cosmos or the summer bedding ones.
We may still get frost as temps are said to go down again halfway next week.

[Deleted]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I'll wait a little while longer then.

[andy]

Put some allysum, night scented stock and sweet peas out at the start of last week (just outside on the patio in their trays...not actually planted) and then we had some pretty heavy frosts and i lost the stocks and allysum but the sweet peas seem to have survived.

This week, the weather was for fairly mild nights...8 or 9 degrees so i put my petunias, impatiens and musa basjoo outside a) so i could slow their growth down a bit and b) because i want my conservatory back.

However, a few nights have been colder than predicted and the basjoos copped a bit of cold although they should be ok.

had to re-sow my NS stock on sunday....they'd germinated by tuesday !!!

[Auricula]

I put everything out by the end of April Mind you we have only had one slight frost this year so I'm not actually taking much of a risk!! I've already put out begonias,dahlias,lobelia,marigolds,and other things of that ilk - today I am going to plant out cosmos ( I've left them a few extra days hoping they get big enough to fight off the slugs!! ;D )Slugs and snails are my main worry when it comes to young plants - I use the organiccy slug pellets and copper rings as I couldn't face actually killing them in a "hands on" way!!

[Rosefriend]

Yep - me too but only in tubs - I do it every year I am afraid.

I leave everything on the terrace so that I can cover things up but I just run out of room, so I have to plant things ........well that is my excuse!!!

RF

[Chuckles]

I've planted out quite a few things in the last week or so but only really establish stuff that I've had in pots for a while maturing Anything young/tender will go out in about 2-3 weeks time and when I can find room ;D

[Jonah]

Hi DG. I'm in Kent too.
I put some poppy seedlings in the bed on tuesday, some indoor reared veg was planted out last week, and other stuff has been plonked out under a coldframe ready to go, including annual asters, aquilegia and alpine strawberry seedlings. Nothing too tender though. I've sown some beans early, so they might go out, but I want to do more anyway.
I'm not risking the HHA's and rest of the softie veg yet. ;D

[Plocket]

I sort of planted out our tomatoes today. They were getting a bit big for their pots and as I have the growbag ready for them I decided to risk putting them out. I have wrapped them carefully in plastic though to protect during cool nights.

[Amo]

As I've had the cold frame fully open during days and open a brick at night for just over a week, I've put out NS stock, cosmos, busy lizies, lobelia, antirrhinum and dianthus. I have fleece on hand and I also have backups should they be lost. Seed dahlia's, asters and nicotiana are now cooling in the cold frame. Lavatera has been out 2 weeks, they got too big!

[Cheerypeabrain]

I have put the PVC GH out (it was in the conservatory) with the larger seedlings in it..some other big babies are in the unheated GH. This time last year it was unseasonably warm so I planted early...then promptly lost half of it in the cold-wet summer....

I want to get the young plants a bit bigger and beefier before they go out...so I'm more likely to pot up rather than plant out yet.

[Ladygardener]

I've had the calendula outside planted for about a month and they've survived, night scented stock have been in the borders for a couple of weeks and the poppy's have been outside in their trays for quite a while now too but my garden is walled and fairly sheltered. Andy that's interesting bout the stock, I'll be sowing more this weekend. ;D
I'll harden the cosmos over the next week or so and hopefully get them out of the plastic greenhouse then. ;D My peas are outside in pots since they germinated. ;D

[Weeterrier]

I never put anything out till the first week in June Except the sweetpeas, they went in on Tuesday.

[Plocket]

My sweetpeas went out weeks ago. They haven't been frost bitten or anything, but they haven't grown much either!

[farmersboy]

My sweet peas are growing like mad,but they havent been disturbed,they were planted straight into the ground in Oct,
I never start them in pots,because when they are put out,the shock stops their growth.

[Plocket]

Ah! That explains why mine aren't growing then! I was very careful not to disturb the roots though.

[totp]

Can I ask, at what temperature does frost occur? Is it below 0C?
I aso have plants waiting to go out but I am worried about frost. On the other hand I know temperatures will not fall below zero until next winter. Should I put them out or not??

[Ladygardener]

planted out some cosmos today, you could say I'm crazy but they're well sheltered. ;D

[Rosefriend]

Apr 26, 2008 21:12:17 GMT totp said:

Can I ask, at what temperature does frost occur? Is it below 0C?
I aso have plants waiting to go out but I am worried about frost. On the other hand I know temperatures will not fall below zero until next winter. Should I put them out or not??

Plants can be damaged from the frost at even 2/3 degrees plus. I work on the 5 deg plus mark - as long as it doesn't go under that I feel that I am OK.

That is also my mark for covering things up with fleece. A new acer has got a touch of frost damage when it went down to 4 deg plus one night. It had just come out of the GH so obviously it wasn't hardened off.

I have neighbours that buy summer bedding plants and plant them straight out although the plants have come from a GH and are not hardened off.

I suppose it is better to wait until temperatures are higher although I have been known to put things out and cover them up each night.

RF

[Auricula]

I too, planted cosmos out today.I always MEAN to harden things off,but am usually too impatient and just stick them in!!

[Tig]

But you have a bit more warmth where you are auricula, you lucky lady

I worry if it gets down to 4C, things get covered with fleece or put in the garage overnight.

x Tig

[carolann]

Well I planted out my S.P's, Night Scented Stock and 3 Garden Pinks which had all been in the CF for weeks now. I have a Papaver, Red Hot Poker and 3 Lillies which has been outside on the North side of the GH, all are going well and if it stops raining for a couple of days they will be planted out as well, even though my FIL says nay cast a clout till May is out, which translated means dont plant anything out till May is over but Im risking the above as they have been outside already.

[Auricula]

Sunshine and showers here today - more bl***y weeding!!!

[Amo]

Apr 28, 2008 9:36:31 GMT carolann said:

my FIL says nay cast a clout till May is out, which translated means dont plant anything out till May is over but Im risking the above as they have been outside already.

That's the May flower of the hawthorn Carolann, not the month. I have, on my huge tree, about 2 flowers

We put the lemon out on the terrace yesterday. It is just covered in flowers and lemons and needs slowing down!!

I also class below +5 and being the dodgy area.

[Auricula]

Oh good - I was wondering when to put out my lemon, I'll do it tomorrow