"Will my tulips be safe in these freezing temperatures?"

April weather is enough to give any gardener whiplash.

Sunny and 70's one day, windy and mid 30's another.

You are wearing shorts in the garden one day, then your parka the next.

Today our high is 41 degrees and our low is 25 degrees.

A very common question I hear this time of year is: "will my <insert plant here> be ok in this cold weather?"

Rest assured - most cole crops and perennials that are hearty for Minnesota weather will be ok through this cold snap.

A few plants that will be ok through this cold snap:

1. Rhubarb - Rhubarb is incredibly hearty.  It can withstand most anything, and it thrives in cooler temperatures.  Climates even farther north than our 4b zone can grow an incredible amount of rhubarb.

2. Potatoes - Our potatoes have been in the ground for a week.  Since they are below ground they will be protected.

3. Onions - Similar to potatoes, most onions will still be below ground right now.  We planted ours yesterday (April 18).

Our dog Sadie "helped" me put in the rows for our onions...

4. Lettuce/Spinach - Lettuce and spinach thrives in cool weather.  We planted spinach seeds and head lettuce seedlings yesterday (April 18).  We did not cover the lettuce seedlings overnight when the low was below 30 and they are looking great this morning after a nice rain to water them in.

Our head lettuce seedlings have been growing beautifully in our cold frames for the past couple of weeks.  We transplanted them to the garden on April 18.

5. Tulips/Daffodils - Spring bulbs are used to this weather and thrive in April temperatures.  They will be totally fine in a cold snap.

Our daffodils have been blooming for 2 weeks, and our tulips aren't far behind!

6. Perennials that are starting to come up - Similar to spring bulbs, perennials will be used to a cold day here or there as they start to come out.  If your perennial bed is not very established, a great way to keep it protected is to not rake it up until temperatures are consistently 50 degrees.  Another purpose for this is to protect the pollinators who are hibernating in the leaves.

Plants to be concerned about during this cold snap:

1. Fruit Trees - The earliest of blossoms include plum and apricot trees.  A cold snap like we are experiencing can impact the fruit production.  If your trees are in bloom and there are temperatures below freezing in the forecast, you can put a sheet over smaller trees to protect the blossoms.  Larger trees get much more difficult to protect - you can try to cover part of the tree but unfortunately it is next to impossible to cover an entire established tree.

Our fruit trees have been leaving out for about two weeks now.

2. Broccoli/Cauliflower - Newer seedlings will need protection if planted in-ground.  We use milk jugs and cut out the bottom to provide a cozy warm space for the seedlings to continue to grow.  This keeps the temperature warmer and it also protects them from wind and bunnies!  This year we also used a row cover to keep them warm and protected.

Part of our broccoli crop went into the ground yesterday (April 18).  We protected them overnight with these milk jugs and also a row cover to make sure they were safe in below-freezing temperatures.

3. Cabbage - Very similar to broccoli and cauliflower, newer cabbage seedlings will need some kind of cover and protection.  Milk jugs and row covers would work for cabbage as well.