I should have known that the minute I took the snow tires off the car — it’d snow. Tuesday was nearly 80 degrees, I had the snow tires taken off the car, and I nearly killed my tomato plants by taking them outside and exposing them to the unseasonably warm weather. Yesterday it snowed/rained all day and this morning the thermometer read 31 degrees. My apple trees in bloom are looking considerably under the weather, and I haven’t gone out to pull the plastic sheeting off the raised beds yet — I ran out of plastic too, so the pea shoots were unprotected all night. I hope they’re not dead. The spinach was also unprotected, but since it survived actual winter, I’m not too worried.
Ah. Gardening in Montana is never dull.
OK, I know you have ties here in Northern Ca so you’re likely well-aware of what our weather’s been like of late. And I know you live where you do by choice, so I won’t have anything to say about the sanity of certain decisions people make in life (and hey, we don’t see eagles rise up out of the brush beside us all that often, which indeed yes, was *very* cool, so who would I be to judge this particular relativity anyway) Also, I have a son in the So. Cal mountains, and a best friend outside of Denver, both of whom (each fools in their own special way) live where they do by choice, and whose gardening is constrained by the same “don’t even think about putting a plant in the ground until Mother’s Day” edict. That said, I have to tell you that my Charlotte-inspired “farm” (a gopher-proofed raised bed we finally constructed and got planted over Easter) is off to a simply *stunning* start! Thanks to you (yes, really!) and the subsequent week of warm but overcast (perfect for getting transplants settled in and seeds started sprouting) weather which has been followed by a record-breaking unseasonal heatwave (upper 90’s — the roses know what’s good for them and bolted immediately) it looks like I will have tomatoes in the blink of an eye, more squash and cukes than even our landless local offspring can help us consume, and, if all continues to go well, maybe even corn! Charlotte, seriously — **thank you** for this blog. You really did inspire me to finally just *do* this little leap of faith thing and actually plant edibles. In about a week I think we’ll be harvesting our very own little green leafy stuff for salads. Mmmmmm 🙂 A glass of something special will be raised in your direction in appreciation for the inspiration, and a more than passing thought of Patrick will head out that way as well. Hugs to you and the dogs!
Well, my goodness Caroll, you’re welcome. Although I think when you start writing comments this long, it’s a sign you need to fire up your very own blog!
Yikes, sorry! It didn’t *look* that long when I composed it in the comment box, but you’re right that it sort of stretched waaaay out there in posted format. Didn’t mean to abuse your blog space, that’s for sure 🙂
If its any comfort after being lulled into a false sense of security and dusting off sandals here in Scotland the past two days have been p e r i s h i n g. Fog bound this morning too.
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I’ve had a patio for 4 years and acually put in two berry bushes last weekend – I’m hoping with a blackberry and a logan berry bush I’ll be able to make my own summer pudding this year.