Too early to buy bedding plants?

[Shelle]

As the title says, is it too early to buy bedding plants up here in Northumberland?

It has been lovely here this weekend (although not quite the weather down south!), and people are buying their plants in the garden centres. Last year, we left it too "late" as when it was the right time to buy them (ie after the frosts) we had great difficulties buying certain plants as the supplies ran out at various centres here. The irony is the people that bought "early" due to a hot spell lost a lot of plants witha late frost.

I dont want to repeat last year not being able to get certain plants, but at the same time dont want to buy too early and lose them!!

Can I use fleece to cover them if I bought now (as I think a frost is forecast next week??) or should I wait?

Any recommendations??

[TPeers]

Do you have a greenhouse or spare window sills? I would think that the weather is still a little iffy for planting out but understand your concern. could you buy the pots of seedlings I see around here (south of London) and prick them out and grow them on?

If nothing else could you sow your own? I only put my sweetpeas in last week and they are showing already - they will catch up!

[Nicos]

Fleece????- yep!!!! ( one can never get enough of it!!! )
Go for it!!!

[Shelle]

Thanks to you both! I quite like fleece too as a newbie!

[rustylady]

You can certainly buy them now, but please don't plant outside without protection. I would buy them and put them either in a cold greenhouse or coldframe at night and stand them outside during the day to harden them off.

[Alice]

You can buy them now Shelle but don't plant them in the ground. They'll be allright during the day, but cover them up with fleece at night. If it is frosty, try to get them up from ground level (it's warmer there)

[nick the grief]

If I was selling them to you Yes cos then I could sell them again whe the frost gets the first lot