This is not what I wanted to see happening this late in the year!
Freeze!
This is not good on several levels.
First, there are fertile eggs in transit that should be arriving tomorrow so I can only hope they’ll be warm enough tonight. Second . . the garden and fruit trees will be damaged. We already lost the fruit crop on almost everything due to the late freezes when the trees were blooming but we do have small peaches and crab apples on the trees and we will lose those tonight. We have 40 mph wind gusts so covering the trees is impossible with this much wind.
In the garden, we have peppers, strawberries and potatoes blooming.
It’s a reminder that no matter how good (or bad) I am as a gardener, we’re at the mercy of the weather and elements. If it isn’t the drought or grasshoppers, it’s a late freeze. I never forget that gardening for me is a hobby. For my grandparents and those before them, feeding their families was dependent on having a successful garden. I’m disappointed and frustrated but by the end of the week, I’ll replant everything except potatoes . . it’s too late to start over with them. I’m thankful I’m physically able to get out there and do the work again, and thankful we live in a day when plants and seeds are available to purchase and that we can afford to buy them.
The old timers around here tell us that when the mesquite trees puts on leaves, then it’s safe to plant your garden. Not true this year! Can I ever trust the mesquite trees again? 🙂
Karen says
here too in Arkansas – I’ve not planted a garden yet because of the weird winter and now I’m glad I didn’t! I have a few plants to try to cover tonight and bring in a flat of bedding plants that I bought a couple days ago but hadn’t planted – I hope your things will survive
Kathy C in OR says
We are in Nashville right now and after an 83 degree day yesterday, it is supposed to be 28 overnight on Tuesday. What’s up with this weather? I’m am Oregon girl and used to 5 degree temp fluctuations between day and night.
Hope your eggs stay warm till they get to you.
Gwen Graham says
Mesquite trees are usually pretty accurate, but it is pretty normal to have a cold snap the week of Easter no matter how late Easter falls. This year is way more severe than most. We will be in the mid 30s here in San Antonio in the morning!
JudyL says
Those trees have lost all credibility with me! 🙂 Mid-30’s for mid-April is cold for SA, huh? They’re saying 31 now for here tonight.
Freda Henderson says
Freeze warning here too. Gotta cover up my new tulips.
Roberta says
Do pull as much dirt as you can up to the potato plants covering leaves if you have to. Then when the freeze has passed you can uncover the tops of the plants and they will continue to grow, no replanting needed. I’ve done that several times here.
Hugs!!!!
JudyL says
I wish I could but the plants are taller than knee high plus it rained and everything is muddy and heavy. No way I can pile that much dirt around about 70 potato plants.
Sherrill says
Yes I have been so annoyed watching the forecasts the past few days and the low keeps getting lower!!! UGH! I’ve been out covering what I have but I don’t have anywhere NEAR what you have. I did get a lawn & leaf bag over the pear tree and tied it at the bottom–we’ll see how that works! It’s ridiculous!
Linda in NE says
Crappy weather here too. Snow yesterday and supposed to be chilly pretty much all week & down to below freezing at night. It will be a miracle if our fruit trees even bloom this year. Really makes you wonder how our ancestors survived.
Linda says
Mother Nature has not been kind to you this year. I have blooms on my Montmortency Cherries. I’m hoping I might get a few this year!
Marsha says
Supposed to have snow here tonight(Indy) we had put our snow blower away. It will be shovels for us
myrna sossner says
Global warming! The weather patterns are changing. Earlier generations did not have the weather patterns that farmers today have to put up with.
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JudyL says
I don’t know about that. I remember my grandparents talking about having very late freezes that wiped out all their crops and even growing up, I remember them having extremely dry summers some years. I think there’s a lot of politics and agendas involved in “global warming” but the weather has never been, and probably never will be the same from one year to the next.
Katie Z. says
How was your weather? We dipped to 30 for a brief time, and that’s it!