MOLINE, Ill. — The Quad Cities just experienced the first 80-degree day of the year and that may have you in the mood to do a little work in the garden, but you'll still want to hold off on any significant planting for the next few weeks. The unusual warmth this time of year doesn't always last, and that will likely be the case this year.
Our Plant and Garden expert Craig Hignight, who joins us every Wednesday morning on GMQC at 11, says Mother's Day is the official "safe date" when it comes to planting. By then, the risk for frost and freeze is significantly lower to nearly nonexistent.
Past history tells us a similar story. I went back and looked up the last frost/freeze date since 1874 here in the Quad Cities. As you can see below, most of these are lumped within the last two weeks of April with even several in the first two weeks of May.
Earlier this month we did manage to sneak below-freezing for a couple of nights and after we get out of this warm spell, there are many indications that we will once again cool back down and have a few more frosty nights before the end of the month.
Hanging baskets and potted plants are nice this time of year because you can easily bring them inside when the threat of frost is in the forecast.
The University of Illinois Extension has a really handy guide on when you should begin planting. You can check it out, here.
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