We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for having begun our gardening on time this year, since we usually get a bit of a late state. The end of March is supposed to be the optimum time to start planting in our area, according to most sources.
We tilled, fertilized, tilled some more, smoothed, made rows, planted, watered, fenced, and then some. It was exhausting, but it was a good kind of tired and my husband and I were feeling quite productive. We also started a bunch of plants in containers with seeds that we had on hand and they have just begun to sprout. It was all rather exciting. It was our garden of all gardens, our biggest yet.
“Was” may be the key word here. We suddenly got hit with a cold snap, a rare occurrence in April. Usually by mid March our weather becomes –and stays- mild. Well, apparently this year is different. It was only about 50 yesterday, with a cold wind and it dropped down to freezing last night! It is supposed to be cool during the day and hover near freezing at night the rest of the week.
We spent last evening covering our tender plants with old sheets, hoping to keep them from suffering from cold and possible frost. Some of them seem to have done all right, but others are looking somewhat pathetic. We set the starter plants inside, so they’re okay, but our peppers and tomatoes (four kinds of peppers, three different kinds of tomatoes) are not looking too promising.
The good news is that we’ll still have time to start over if things warm up soon, but I’m still sad. A local woman told me that the rule of thumb is to never start planting until after Easter. I don’t quite know how that works since the date for Easter changes, sometimes in March, sometimes in April, but I guess I’ll keep it in mind for next year.
I hope it warms up soon, not just for the sake of our garden, but also because we enjoy relaxing outdoors. Come on warm weather!