[shokkyy]

I've got loads of good healthy squash, courgette, tomato, aubergine and pepper plants that have grown on very well. I potted them on into bigger pots and for the last couple of weeks I've been putting them outside in the daytime every day. But I cannot decide whether or not to bite the bullet and start planting them out. In my part of the country, it seems unlikely we'll be getting any more actual frosts, but we are forecast for overnight temps as low as 5 or 6 degrees over the next week, and that could well be cold enough to make them sulk. The peppers, aubergines, some tomatoes and one courgette will be going into my tunnel rather than outdoors, but I don't really think tunnels are appreciably warmer overnight than outside. One of the squash plants is actually in flower so they can't wait much longer.

Is anyone planting stuff like this outside yet?

[DD.]

Nope!

Mine are actually outside, but in their pots in a warm sheltered spot of the home garden.

My plot is more exposed and I anticipate another couple of weeks at least.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Was thinking about it, until the wind yesterday. Next few days look pretty miserable with daytime temps not getting much about 13 degrees.......

Still quite windy here too, another 7-10 days maybe?

[JayG]

No - some no doubt will have, and of those some will have smug looks on their faces for the rest of the summer and the others won't! 

A polytunnel or greenhouse should at least give protection from late ground frosts and/or wind even if they don't get appreciably warmer than outdoors on dull days.

[Eblana]

I was wondering the same, some of my Tom's have their first trusses of flowers appearing.  I have the week after next off work to go to the Chelsea Flower Show so I have decided that they are going to the PT at the plot on the 20th before I leave for Chelsea and I will see how they get on from there!!

[Beetroot queen]

Once this spell of cooler weather and wind have gone I am going to have to make a start, I want the space in the cold frames for other bits and I am getting impatient. 

I am tempted to put half out and keep half in the safe just incase. There is only so much fleece I can buy

[BabbyAnn]

my plot is at the bottom of the hill so cold air drops and can be particularly perishing after a harsh overnight frost  ... so I won't be planting out until at least 1st/2nd week of June (or even later .... as I still haven't sown the courgette and some squash seeds yet, oops 

[ryetek]

I won't be planting out until the first or second week in June either. We had a frost in the first few days of June last year so I'm always wary.

[simonwatson]

I sowed my squash and courgettes yesterday. My peppers, sweetcorn and toms are in a heated greenhouse. The heater will be turned off in June and the squash won't go out until the start of June either.

The cucumbers are still on the windowsill in the house.

You won't get my plants without a fight you evil British weather.

[shokkyy]

This is my garden, not an allotment, so it would be more sheltered than most allotments I suspect. Maybe the safest thing would be to rig up one of the raised beds in my tunnel with a hoop frame so I can chuck some fleece over if need be, and put all the pots on that bed for another week or so. And in fact I could plant some of them in there too. At least it would mean I don't have to keep carrying them in and out every day, which is becoming very tedious given the number of plants. If I run out of space in there, I do also have a couple of coldframes which would at least give some protection from the cold, and I could always use fleece in those too if I had to. I don't like to keep on bringing them in and out of the house for too long because I always feel there comes a point where bringing them back inside all the time is preventing them from toughening up.

I do already have some Speedy French beans growing away in my tunnel, and they're just coming into flower, so clearly they haven't been too bothered by the overnight temps in there. It actually looks like a bit of a jungle in there at the moment, because I've got new spuds, French beans, mange tout, spinach, leaf beet and salad stuff growing away like mad things in there. I've also got loads of pots of French and runner beans in there, waiting to go outside, and those have actually germinated in there so I guess they've been finding it warm enough too.

[simonwatson]

Shokkyy, you'd be the best judge of the micro-climate in your garden. If you know that your garden is good a trapping the heat in the day and you see fewer frosts at home than on say an open green space close to where you live that I'd suggest you can risk going a bit earlier than you otherwise would. Sheltered alone is not always best, as it can allow air cool air to collect and not be mixed by the wind, thus forming frost pockets. I would say planting out now would be a risk, but as they are flowering you're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I were in your position I would consider sowing a couple of backups, just in case, then taking the risk and being ready with a thick fleece. The great advantage of being at home is that fleecing at short notice is much easier. Good luck

[seaside]

That's what I think works Shokky to take away the worry of the May frost cusp. Double protection.
 
Cold Greenhouse/tunnel, and then a secondary clear plastic dome or closed cloche when necessary.

[Salmo]

Nine replies and nine different opinions. I shall not add another.

[Beetroot queen]

Nine replies and nine different opinions. I shall not add another.

Variety is the spice of life 

[DD.]

Nine replies and nine different opinions. I shall not add another.

Odd.

You would normally expect 12 opinions from 9 replies.