You need to know about this chilly period Michigan is about to enter. Some garden favorites can be planted, but for many it’s still a no-go on the seeds to be sowed.
Michigan is going to have a colder-than-normal period from Wednesday, May 6 to sometime around May 14. There could be three to five mornings with frost.
Here are the morning low temperature forecasts for each day from Tuesday morning to Saturday morning.
Low temperature forecast each day from Tuesday, May 5 to Saturday, May 9.noaa
From Midland to Clare to Big Rapids and all areas northward, there could be heavy frost each morning this week and Saturday morning.
The low temperature forecasts in southern Michigan are based on occasional patches of clouds, which hold the temperatures up a few degrees. The forecast of mornings at 35 degrees to 36 degrees means any sunrise that has clear skies and light winds could drop to near 32 degrees. These cold temperatures are possible all the way into the far south-central part of Michigan, near Lansing and Jackson. Only Detroit may be spared from further frosts.
Thursday morning and Friday morning are most likely the coldest mornings.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday could have cold mornings also, with temperatures dropping into the low-to-mid 30s.
This cold stretch means there’s no way we can plant any vegetable or flower that can be killed due to a freeze. Most of our classic, favorite summer vegetables won’t be able to handle the coming cold. Tomatoes, peppers, any squash or vine vegetable, green beans and some herbs will be killed with the coming frosts.
Already started vegetables that can be transplanted this week are Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, and lettuce (cover head lettuce if going to touch freezing). It’s still probably best to harden off the veggies by putting them close to the house, so it’s cold but not extremely cold. Doing this hardening this week would have your plants ready to be put in the ground this weekend.
Some seeds will be able to germinate with the colder soil that is coming. These seeds are peas, spinach, lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips and collards.
You’ll have to wait until mid-to-late May to plant most sweet corn seed. The newer varieties need 60-degree soil to germinate. After this cold period, the warm-up in mid-May should get our soil warmed into the 60s. The corn seed can germinate really poorly in cold soil.
With the way the weather pattern looks, we will have to do our typical Memorial Day planting of the heat-loving vegetables.
Perennial flowers will handle this cold, if you have them hardened off some by being introduced to cooler temperatures outside.
If you already bought a bunch of plants, keep them right in the flats and near your garage door. The pavement around a garage usually makes that area one of the warmest areas in our yards. If it is projected to get below 36 degrees, bring the flats of plants inside the garage for the night.
It’s our same old story here in Michigan- continue to wait for permanently warm weather.
Stay updated on when this cold kicks out of Michigan at MLive.com/weather.
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