(Really) Frost-safe planting

I actually went out on March 1 to get info for the "First Frost-Safe 5" item on plants you could put in the ground on or after March 11.The scene: A rainy afternoon on a cool pre-spring day on Johns Island. Perfect for cat-naps.

The 5-gimmick: I asked Chad Dausener, a "plant propagator" at Pete's Herbs, to give me five plants you could put in the ground around March 11, which is what I'd heard was the frost-safe date for this zone. But Dausener said they looked at things differently on this locally owned farm: "We don't consider it really frost-safe until April 15." As evidence, he cited a recent season marred by a surprise frost in the first week of April.

Which brings us (as so few garden topics do) to a Dirty Harry quote: "So you gotta decide: Do I feel lucky?"

What I wound up with was a hybrid: A "non-gambler's 5" for the March 9 edition... and then I'll come back in April and check with some other nursery for spring/summer vegetables to start setting out when things are really, really frost-safe.

Chad's picks (and remember: click the image to see it full-size):