Cold weather

Reply to
Pat Royal
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Anyone else getting kicked by the unseasonable cold weather right now. My broccoli and other cool weather plants were set out a week or so ago. Tonight's low is predicted to be in the mid to low 20s. The kiwi plants are already look done for this season. Hope that some of the fruit trees survive.

Let me know. Misery loves company.

Reply to
The Cook

I expected to see veggie sludge in my cold frame after a week of overnight lows in the 20s-low 30s, was pleasantly surprised to see the chinese cabbage going strong - better even than the spinach! Kale about done in, but could be lack of water. Peas up about 1 inch, lettuce seedlings showing. Only another week to go, then perhaps back to more seasonable temps.

In the meantime of course, seedlings ready to revolt in the basement - I was planning to be able to have them out in the poly tunnel by now!

Zone 5 slogger!

Reply to
gonzo

Our cool crop vegetables made it through the bitter cold in pretty good shape. The perennial flowers that came up and started to bud and bloom didn't fare so well. The heat lovers such as the peppers, okra and tomatoes are, fortunately, still in our greenhouse.

Reply to
Manelli Family

To follow up on my post. The worst of the cold seems to be over. Almost everything survived. The worst hit were the strawberries. They were already full of blooms and had set some fruit. The ones that got covered the first night are probably ok. The other berries are brown dried up little things. We put flower pots over most of the broccoli and cabbage. We took them off Saturday and could not really tell the difference between them and the ones that were not covered. The kiwi fruit plants look like they have had it. The fruit trees look OK but it will take a week or so to see how they fared. Muscadines look ok, but they only have a few leaves.

My tomatoes and herbs are still in the greenhouse. The peppers are in the family room for germination.

Such is life for the farmer and gardener.

Reply to
The Cook

I built a cloche (mini greenhouse) over my raised garden using PVC pipe and clear plastic sheets on one and blue plastic tarpaulin over the other. Our temperature went down into the low twenties. My newly planted heirloom tomatoes all died but the carrots and beets that were already established seemed to accelerate in growth. Newly planted lettuce, carrots,beets and most of the bush beans also survived.

Reply to
Johnny

Here, on the other coast, we had a very cold (for us) Dec.-Jan.(used up most of our firewood),warm Feb. and relatively dry March which is extending into April (less than half the rain from last year). The broccoli and, cabbage that I planted last fall, slowly disappeared into the winter's dark. The Brussel sprouts that I planted in my lettuce garden turned into little green buggy whips (Sun below the tree-line). When they started to flower(Sun above the tree-line), I chopped all but one of them into compost. Hopefully I'll get seed from that one.

The root crops that I planted late last spring were devastated by my playful "Hounds from Hell" but there are a few beets and parsnips that survived without bolting. I guess I should pull them now before things start to warm up more. Anyway, I need to turn the garden. The tarragon is about six inches high, the strawberries are leafing out and, the yarrow is poking it fern like leaves out of the mulch.

I have half a dozen unidentified herbs, that barely leafed-out last year, coming up in pots and, I need to get them identified.

My good friends, the Swiss chard, have already been served with several meals.

About a month ago, I trucked in a cubic yard of organic compost and spread it among the beds and seeded it with buckwheat, red clover, and something the local nursery call "green manure".

Two weeks ago, I planted 18 peas that I had germinated first. So far, so good.

Using your advice, I set up a hot pad (on low) under grow lights back in February and I am stunned at how well it works. It even germinated peppers through peat moss. I have one 72 cell tray living outside now and two other trays that go out for the day and, one in the "nursery" under the lights. One thing that strikes me as peculiar though, is that the corn that I've germinated (Yes, corn, but let's not get into that.) comes in at night. Odd thing is every morning, before it goes out, there is dew on the leaves that were dry the night before!!? By mid-May my tomatoes and peppers should be ready for planting.

I still have cool weather plants to get in the ground before that and, more herbs to germinate (I wait for the post-person everyday). I have the feeling that this is going to be a very good year in the garden:-)

Vibrating with anticipation,

- Bill Cloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Reply to
William Rose

It's still snowing at my house. We are normally snow-free here by May 1, but probably won't be this year. Our normal plant-out date is ~June 1 for stuff that can't tolerate any frost.

The tomato plants on the windowsill are ready for their first transplant.

Jan in Alaska USDA Zone 3

Reply to
Jan Flora

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