Buds??

Are these the start of buds?

Yep

Yep that's right. The white pistils are emerging, showing signs that your two plants are females! Good job, keep an eye on them and give them love and care over the flowering phase, and you'll have some prime bud in no time buddy!

Best of Luck

Cheers

Total

how long should it take til I have buds that can be harvested? It's going to be below freesing her at night by October. Any ideas?

hmmmmm that's a delimia bring it inside during the night but
if the temps drop to low in the day it will cause your plant
to stop growing. And if you take it inside during the night
make sure it stays in a dark place with out any light
interruptions.

Yes, the 12 hour dark time, or how ever long its getting HAS to be complete pitch blackness, as this dark time is measured by the plant, which in turn releases a flowering hormone.