Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sometimes Mother Nature . . .

I hazily remember last week. The ground didn't freeze every night. We had a day with a high of 70F. I was working outside. It was so beautiful. I even blogged five times since so much was happening. I was deluded into thinking that spring would come early. But something inside me said to not plant my peas yet.

Then we had the first day of spring. My how things change. Monday we had a snow storm. It looked liked it would stick since the snow fell hard all day, but lo and behold, no snow stuck. The week before was just too warm and the ground had warmed up.

Don't look at the pretty arch into my garden. Don't look at the bales of peat moss that need digging into the blueberry patch. Look at the horrible white stuff covering the garden beds. Isn't it sad. I know it will melt off very soon, but what happened to spring? What happened to my warm sunny days?

Our average temperature this time of year is supposed to be 49F with an average low of 29F. The Channel 7 forecast says it won't even be in the 40s for the rest of the week. And on Friday and Saturday nights it will be in the teens. I ought to be hardening off my onions outside every day. Mother Nature can be such a bitch.

27 comments:

  1. I hear you and agree! Even after digging part of the garden out, it has since been covered by at least two light snowfalls. They even melt in between! What a tease Mother Nature is.

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  2. You've got that one right Daphne!!! My strawberry plants, asparagus roots and raspberry canes came yesterday for the plots!! I was sure that I would be able to get those beds ready this week and then the forecast changed!! The strawberries and asparagus will be spending some time in the refrigerator and the raspberries in a bucket in the basement!!

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  3. It's depressing. The forecast is dreary and cold too. I want my spring back!

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  4. I agree. So nice last week and got down to 20 last night and will likely be the same all week. My garlic and rhubarb were poking out...hope they are ok.

    http://groceriesgardenanddinner.blogspot.com/

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  5. Daph~

    Really diggin your new garden arbor and that cute as can be little fence! Im working on putting an arbor up that I recycled with some black paint this weekend, I wake up at night dreaming about its placement...what baskets I will hang off it...what sign I will attach to the top of it... What a super time of year...btw we got snow last night here in Chicago...boo!

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  6. I love your garden arch. (No comments on the snow). You are really getting the cottage garden look going there. Will there be something to climb on the archway?

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  7. Mother Nature is being crabby here as well, we've been getting one storm after another, it's wet wet wet and getting wetter. In the meantime the weeds are getting to be enormous and the tunneling rodents are excavating away...

    I can't wait to see your garden in its full summer glory, it's going to be beautiful.

    Stay warm!

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  8. It's just so disheartening sometimes, isn't it? I'm still planning on transplanting out my early greens to the hoop house this weekend. I think I'll be able to handle the current conditions.

    I'm just glad that Fava beans are very cold hardy, but alas, the peas will definitely have to wait.

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  9. It has been below seasonal here as well. After all the snow melted a few weeks ago we got close to 12" yesterday. It is starting to get a little old. Last year I was seeding greens outside the first week of March!

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  10. I hear you, Daphne! We had a dusting yesterday morning that didn't stick- thankfully! We've been windy and cold. Last year (which was our first spring in our new climate) our neighbors were sunbathing in March! My records show we are about 8-10 degrees colder than last year :(.

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  11. I read this post and then said "hmmm that looks like my yard" and lo-and-behold you do in fact live nearby. I am up here in NH thinking the same thoughts. They forecasted another 3 inches for us. So not happy.

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  12. I'm sorry to hear about the snow. It seems kind of late in the winter to get snow??? The fence and arbor do look very nice :)

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  13. Totally unAmerican. I demand a do-over.

    Very uncool.

    Although the new garden does look regal and majestic under the layer of snow.

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  14. But you sure do have a pretty arch!

    We had a record breaking 23F the night after I planted out all my lettuce, but everything survived just fine.

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  15. How depressing that snow must have been...but you did get to enjoy a day or so in the 70s! What I would give to have a truly warm day or two...it's been unseasonably cool for months now in our area. Your garden area is so attractive with the arch and fencing.

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  16. Mother Nature does indeed have quite the sense of humor to tempt us with niceties and then take them away so quickly. She is a fickle landlord to be sure.

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  17. GrafixMuse, We even had a few snowflakes yesterday. I need more warmth.

    Robin, I'm worried that my plants might arrive. I hope they don't send them until the middle of April, but you just never know.

    The Mom, me too

    Ali, I'm sure the garlic will be OK. Sometimes mine is up all winter long and still is just fine.

    Jezibels, I want a sign too. Mine of course has to say Daphne's Dandelions.

    Marcia, Yes I've ordered an old fashioned rose to climb the arbor. Zephirine Drouhine It is close to thornless so it won't stab me as I go through.

    michelle, We could use some rain here. We have only had about two inches of precipitation here this month. That is unusual. We usually have four.

    Thomas, In a hoop house they ought to be fine. I guess that means I ought to get my fava beans planted. I've never planted them before. I figured they would go out when the peas do. But then again. Right now the ground has a frozen crust on it. I'm going to have to wait until it thaws.

    RandomGardner, I wish she had given us the cold weather first. Then that nice warm spell.

    Dan, Wow the first week of March is really early.

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  18. Tessa, I wasn't here in March of last year so I've got no records. But I know some years we get snow in April. I hope this isn't the year for that.

    Shmoopywood, I hope we both get some nice warm weather soon. I keep looking at the long range forecast and it hasn't been good. I can only hope they are wrong.

    foodgardenkitchen, not really late to get snow here. We've been known to have it now and then in April. It isn't normal then, but it happens. In March we have in the past had feet of snow (a couple of years in the 90s come to mind), but I'm never happy about it. And it is late March already. I want it to stop.

    Ribbit, I'm sure I'll get a do over in 2012. Sadly the do overs have all been booked up for the year and I have to wait.

    Annie's Granny, I'm glad they all survived. Lettuce is pretty hardy stuff. I was hoping though since we had a nice cold winter (and yes I am still in zone 6) that we might have a warm spring. No such luck.

    Laura, We did have those two tantalizing days. One in the 60s and one in the 70s and sunny. It was so nice to get outside and work in the garden. I was going to fix up the blueberry beds yesterday, but with the freeze they are frozen over. I'll wait until next week I think.

    Mr H, she is indeed.

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  19. Around here in RI, April 1st is usually no more snow day.

    I was almost going to put away the birdbath heater last week. No such luck. Cold as the devil's heart out there now.

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  20. I feel your pain. In Indiana it was 70 degrees two days ago and yesterday we had some light sleet in the morning.

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  21. Daphne, I love this view of your new garden. It really helps me to visualize it now. I hope that snow will all be gone soon for you.

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  22. We're paying for our recent warm weather - today we had sleet and snow flurries. Looks like spring has 'unsprung' there too!

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  23. I ordered some roses this week when it was getting nice and comfy, and bless their hearts, J&P's arrived yesterday. Now I think those roses will be living in the sink in buckets of water for the next week or so. I'm sure not going out there and planting in this weather and wind.

    Meanwhile I'm hoping Edmunds and the Antique Rose Emporium are a little slower in shipping. The sink is not that big...

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  24. Ohmygoodness! What a clean and tidy garden! I've always known I was a bit of a messy gardener; by comparison, I'm a slob ...
    Speaking of messes, on my way out to rose-wrestle. Whining with pictures on my blog.
    If you want a piece of Seven Sisters rose for that arbor I'll stat one for you.
    Best,

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  25. Hey, there was a smiley face by that slob remark! (Editor ignored.)

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