SPRING FROSTS & YOUR GARDEN
Q. I have a flower and vegetable garden and want to plant in them this weekend. Is it OK to plant or is the frost going to be a problem?
A. The best way for me to answer this question is to give you the average last frost date for this area of the Southwest Piedmont. The last frost date for Gaston County is April 24. This is only an average; we have in past years experienced frost as late as mid May. If you want to plant annuals, perennial and/or vegetables the best point to keep in mind is that weather patterns change. One day it's near 80 degrees and sunny and the next it's in the upper 30's.
If you decided to chance it and plant, I would suggest having a protection plan in place to help those plants you do not want damaged by cold or wind. Something as simple as a bucket to put over a tomato plant at sunset and removed the next day as the weather warms can make a 5 - 6 degree difference in temperature. Maintaining 5 - 6 degrees higher than the cool night temperatures can mean the survival of that plant. Blankets will give about 2 - 4 degrees increased protection.
Mark Blevins , Horticulture Agent
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