hey guys,
Im down in south La., like 19 miles from th end of the road and the Gulf..anyhow, we get maybe 3 nights a year below freezing, 29 or so degrees. Every year I plant my maters in 5 gal buckets. I drill 1/2" holes on the sides about an inch from the bottom to allow water to drain. I then silicone pieces of screen to stop the soil from washing out. I put 1 plant to a bucket filled to the rim with potting soil.
The best thing about this is when it does freeze I can bring them into the garage, no tilling, weeding or making rows. At the end of the season I just pull em out, shake off the dirt and put the buckets of soil away till next year.
The plants can be moved to better light, they can also be started earlier than usual because they can be brought inside at night. Hope this helps, dave