17 degrees Fahrenheit at the Lake Clear airport last night - for three hours!! Woke up to a lot of frost damage, mainly on perennials that had gotten ahead of themselves. Lilies, astilbe, ornamental alliums (will probably survive), and asparagus.
The peonies survived because I was able to cover them with floating row cover. The only other losses were among amaranths and marigolds.
Soooo, pretty much EVERYTHING has to happen over the next couple of weeks. Here's the to-do list
Plant sunflowers, about 500, also daucus, cosmos, scabiosias, Snow on the Mountain, and other hard-to-transplant tender annuals
Transplant asters, zinnias, grasses, more 'Cherry Caramel' phlox, and basil into the hoop house
Harden off and transplant tomatoes, squash, melons after frost (when is that??)
Transplant dahlias into hoophouse as they sprout
Pot up heirloom chrysanthemums (received today (and tomorrow)
Oh, and Saturday is the first farmers market of the season, the earliest start date yet. I plan to bring a few simple posies -will have a photo or two later on.
Time to get going!