NORWICH, CT (WFSB) – Last week’s warm weather may have some itching to be out in the garden, but experts said it’s still too soon.
A freeze warning is in effect Monday night into Tuesday morning.
At Malerba’s Farm in Norwich, the greenhouses were full. The farm stand, however, were not.
The farm has 20 greenhouses with hundreds of thousands of plants. Nearly all of them remained inside.
Owner Vinnie Malerba said only cold crops like lettuce can survive weather like this. However, even lettuce will be covered Monday night.
“[Monday] morning by 7 [a.m.] there was a coating of ice on all of it,” Malerba said.
Everything else stays in the greenhouse at about 60 degrees to keep the plants alive and looking good.
“They flocked in here those three days of warm weather,” Malerba said. “I keep warning them it’s going to go away, it’s going to go back to normal.”
Hundreds of thousands of plants waiting
From seed to bloom, hundreds of thousands of plants are coming to life at the farm. Customers like Judy Conero of Lisbon are eager to bring them home.
“We are here for some early flowers to get some color for our black, brown yuckiness,” Conero said.
She knows it’s too early, but has a plan.
“Bring them inside, put them in the garage overnight and with optimism I will plant them tomorrow after the frost,” Conero said.
Only perennials and cold crops like lettuce may survive this cold. The best bet is to cover them. That’s what Malerba is going to do before bringing them up front for sale.
“We are anxious to put this outside too. Probably after this freeze,” Malerba said.
Gardeners like Conero waited out a long winter. Now she just has to wait out a few more weeks.
“I have been chomping at the bit since January, so I guess the answer is yes,” Conero said.
Malerba said Mother’s Day tends to be a safe bet to get plants in the ground.
For updates on the forecast, read the technical discussion from Channel 3’s meteorologists here.
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