Mother Nature has been somewhat moody lately here in WNY.
After a beautiful early spring that saw temperatures in the neighborhood of 80
degrees on St. Patrick’s Day (not to mention leaves on the trees a solid month earlier than normal) we’ve been consistently in the 40’s to low 50's with frosty
nights and a lot of rain. The plus side is that after today’s temperatures in
the high 40’s, tomorrow the forecast calls for mid 50’s and then mostly 60’s
and 70’s all week. The best part is that nightly lows are supposed to stay
above 45 after we get through Monday, and even the 50’s toward the end of
next week. This is especially exciting because hauling plants in and out on a
daily basis is getting old!
Ozark Beauty Strawberry |
These colder temperatures don’t mean that things are
standing still in the garden. The strawberries, mesclun mix, potatoes, beets,
forget me nots, cilantro, dill, sage, and parsley have been outside for the
past couple of weeks. I was a little surprised that the cilantro and dill
seemed to take to the cooler temperatures, but I do bring them in almost every
night. The strawberries have been outside pretty much day and night for a solid
month now, although I do bring them inside when we get a frost warning, which
has happened several times lately. It isn’t so much the plant themselves, but
the delicate young flowers and berries that I am concerned with. The beets and
potatoes haven’t come above the surface yet, so they are protected by the dirt
in their containers.
Over the past couple of weekends we’ve also planted some new
seeds and done some re-potting. Cucumbers, purple basil, squash, beans,
chamomile, tarragon, and more chives are in the dirt in the greenhouse room.
The squash, beans, cucumbers, and basil are all up and growing very quickly.
This is my first time growing squash, and it was about 4 inches tall in about 2
days! Beans grow really fast and can probably be started outdoors, but with all
the critters and birds around I wanted the plants going before I planted them
outside.
Today I am going to pot up a bunch of herbs in anticipation
of them going outside once those nicer temperatures arrive mid-week. The
greenhouse plants will also get their first dose of a mild fertilizer with
their water this afternoon. As you can see, some of the tomato plants are
becoming quite large.
In my next post, I’ll address how I have been hardening these
plants off to wind and cold. Until then, here are some more pictures of the
garden. Spring weather is just around the corner!
I'm not familiar with black krim. Can't wait to try something new!
ReplyDeleteI have never had a good one... They are a favorite among tomato fans though, so I am excited! the flavor profile is described as smoky, a little salty, and intense.
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