How accurate are outside volunteers' weather sense?

applestar · Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:54 pm

Waay more than 3 posts today!

Just came inside from "weeding" the veg. garden. I pulled out volunteer tomato seedlings (all in 2 seed leaf stage) by bunches! I picked up a pot of lettuce start I had hardening off and there was a pale tomato seedling under there as well!

Inside, my "official" tomatoes -- all with their 2nd set of true leaves -- are huddled under lights, waiting for the "right" time to go out. (This morning, thermometer on NW side of the house read 28.7Ã‚ÂºF!)

Granted that the spot I was weeding has been constantly covered with a floating cover, but it's the cheap-o Walmart variety that is usually called "summer weight" in gardening catalogs and is not supposed to do much besides keeping frost from touching the plants underneath. Just how accurately are those outdoor volunteers predicting the weather?

Has anyone noticed a correlation? I wasn't going to attempt planting the tomatoes out until 3rd weekend of April (with protection) and which would be 2 weeks earlier than my usual planting of 1st weekend in May.

atascosa_tx · Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:26 am

I myself never trusted volunteers ,,,they are young and don't know the season,,
I read the trees...mature pecan trees won't start to shoot out leaves until the freezes are over,,,so far so good,,
We hit 33 one weekend,,,and 36 the next,,,all the plants survived,,
Mine were in the ground on March 7th..here in s. TX..
I dodged some bullets.

The Helpful Gardener · Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:26 am

Don't you do it, AS. Don't you listen to them 'maters...they lie like rugs. You know we got at least one more good frost... May 15th is my date...

HG

atascosa_tx · Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:32 am

I myself never trusted volunteers ,,,they are young and don't know the season,,
I read the trees...mature pecan trees won't start to shoot out leaves until the freezes are over,,,so far so good,,
We hit 33 one weekend,,,and 36 the next,,,all the plants survived,,
Mine were in the ground on March 7th..here in s. TX..
I dodged some bullets.

applestar · Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:58 am

"they are young and don't know the season"
"Don't you listen to them 'maters...they lie like rugs."

Down to 37Ã‚ÂºF this morning. "The Fool" is hanging on. We'll see how the silly little volunteers are doing....

2cents · Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:57 am

most of the volunteer pumpkins died in this last round of frosts.
the little tomato volunteers seem to be hanging on. But there are no true leaves yet, they have been that size for a month. Hoping they will take off soon.

applestar · Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:01 am

My 4 volunteer curcurbits (don't know what they are yet) are actually starting to grow their true leaves in the area that I'm planning to plant tomatoes! Oh what to do...? (Actually, I'll probably dig them up and plant them by the fence or by the SW wall of the house where I'm planning to put up a trellis and create summer shade....)

Right now, I'm too eager to experiment and to try growing different cultivars of each vegetable, but I suppose what I REALLY should do ultimately is to pick one favorite heirloom variety from each family and let them come back each year.... I mean don't I feel a wee bit silly obsessively cuddling these transplants along when what might be perfectly viable and tasty plants are willingly growing out there on their own???

Anyway, look what I found! https://www.ghorganics.com/Phenology.html

(Follow links to other gardening tips too!)