I visited the local branch of a national home-improvement store yesterday, and was startled to see a wide variety of vegetable plants for sale outside. It was obvious that they'd been out for a while because most of the tomato and basil plants had that dark, lifeless color that is the aftermath of a freeze. Only the kale and lettuce looked healthy.
Anyone who has a garden in this zone knows that warm-weather vegetables (particularly the nightshade family and basil) need protection until the end of April and well into May. Even in a good year, it's too early for them to be outside, unprotected, overnight. And this hasn't been a good year, in terms of spring-like weather.
The average last-frost date for this area is mid-April, with overnight temperatures in the 40s. In just the last week, temperatures have dropped to freezing or below several times, and may dip into the low 30s again this week.
Local growers know the local climate. Trust them and support them.
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