An unusually warm winter had gardeners breaking ground early this year, but a possible freeze tonight could mean bad news for those who got a head start on planting.
Warm temperatures make early gardening seem like a good idea. However, green thumbs may be less colorful after Sunday's potential frost.
"We've had a lot of customers and a lot of gardeners are anxious to get started," Lewis Greenscapes owner Joe Sommerfeld said.
He said the early spring also brough an early boom in business. It's something he's never seen before.
"This March has been very unusual," he said.
Good gardening weather drew customers who hoped to get a jump on planting. One such customer was gardener Bruce Odle. He made some early purchases.
"We've got a few tomato plants bought, some potatoes bought, onions bought, pepper seeds," Odle said.
But, he's afraid to put those plants in the ground yet.
"A couple years ago, an April snow killed a lot of stuff I put in the garden already, so we decided to hold off a little bit this year," Odle said.
That is something that Sommerfeld recommends. He says the key to early planting is knowing which things to plant and which to hold off on. One example is tomatoes, which grow best in warmer weather.
For those gardeners who got a head start, he has a piece of advice to avoid frost damage.
"If in doubt, cover them with sheets or a blanket or basket, something like that," Sommerfeld said.
As for finishing up that early planting, he has another tip.
"Wait two, three, maybe even four more weeks," Sommerfeld said.
That's when conditiong will be right for warm weather plants. It is also when Odle plans to start putting his vegetables in the ground.
"There's nothing like fresh vegetables," he said.
