Wow, can't believe those temps! Got 3" of snow here Sat, it all melted yesterday, today will be near 50 but tonight will be 29 so I don't dare direct-seed anything quite yet, though I still want to get peas in the ground this week.

We're swinging from highs near 90s to 50s, both being highs. Our lows are from 30s to 60s. All in the last 3 weeks. Some of our corn farmers have already planted, if it freezes then they will be out thousands of $$s.

Ajsmama, peas won't mind a bit of cold, as long as you can work the ground.

Marla

Marla - I just didn't know if they would survive below-freezing temps if they had already started to germinate. I'm starting peas with the 2nd grade class on Thurs, thought I would get mine in before that but keep delaying b/c of weather!

I'll probably end up keeping the class's (clear) plastic cups over the weekend - the Dept of Ag lesson plan has them just using paper towel, no soil, in the cup so they can see the germination but I'm worried about them drying out over the 3-day weekend.

Do you think I should soak the class's peas Wed night if I'm taking them home? I wasn't going to if I was leaving them at school (thinking then maybe they wouldn't be harmed by getting a little wet on Thurs and then drying out over the weekend).

Wow, that's warm. We have been summarily pushed back to Spring. But a mild spring. We had some snow on Saturday night and then a mizzly day yesterday.

I have been thinking of direct seeding some peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and just letting them come up when they will. I 'think' the season will be long enough for them to fully ripen this year outside. The tomatoes are just for us and the eggplant/peppers are uncommon varieties so it doesn't matter if they are early as they are novelty.

I would keep the paper towel moist.

I'm not taking the chance for direct seeding any peppers, eggplants or tomatoes.

I've had peas and beans go thru a freeze. The beans froze off and then came back up one year.

Marla

Guess 18 cups with 1 pea in each are coming home with me over the weekend!

This has been the warmest March EVER! They have been keeping records since 1888 and the average temp in March this year was 59.7 degrees. The old record was 57.2. I haven't covered a single crop in the high tunnel yet this year. It has been crazy warm!

When I taught 4th grade, I started a small garden at my school. We planted lots of seeds and a few tomatoes. We also grew tomato plants and sold them. It was a great learning experience. We had them under lights and everything was on a timer. I would have to water heavy on Friday and they would be ready for a drink come Monday.

Jay

We had a warm spring in 2000, the year I started the farmers market. I had green beans for Memorial Day, people were shocked, and I sold out, my first $100 day.

Marla

We have 1 hoop house up with beets and sweet potatoes we are growing for slips (and the sweet taters love being in that hot hoop house, looks like we will get hundreds of slips, maybe enough to sell after we plant).

We were going to start a lot of things in hoop houses early like salad mix, lettuce and other greens but its' been so warm we started those things outside.

I think we will still put a couple of them up to get an early start on zukes and cukes. I would start them with no protection but we are getting lows in the 30's still (got a possible freeze coming up on Thursday). just started peppers and eggplant indoors and will start tomatoes in early May as I have always done. I would start such things earlier but we are not doing any farmers markets this year and our CSA doesn't need an influx of early veggies (we have more than enough variety with the seasonal stuff). And i think we will still see a late freeze.

The asparagus is almost at full production, a good 5 weeks early and the strawberries that we usually have in hoophouses this time of year so we can get production starting in late April will probably be producing with no protection in another 2 weeks (they are loaded with flowers and growing berries).

It's already crazy year, I hope we don't get burnt up come July. I also hope we get some rain, unlike last year when we were flooding at this point in time we have not gotten much rain this spring (yet). I think we have gotten an inch in the past 2 weeks, maybe a bit less, and we are now forced into watering the newly seeded and transplanted beds beds. it might be tine to start setting up the irrigation system on beds that are ready for it (which is under 50%) so we are not spending 3+ hours a day hand watering.

Our weatherman is calling for a 32 Thursday night, I'll close things up and be glad nothing is outside yet.

Rain is something that seems to keep avoiding us. We haven't seen any rain since the week of March 19. It rained all that week and we ended up with 1.75-2 inches. I need to get the drip out on some onions, leeks and potatoes that I planted right before the week long rain. I also need to weed, but they keep calling for rain and I keep getting thing done outside before I am forced to work in the high tunnels.

I also need to stake all our tomatoes and get cages on the cherry tomatoes. They have been going gang busters in this nice weather!

Jay

I'm not going to get in a big hurry. I did plant 100 feet of green beans and 20 hills of zucchini, but that's it. The bulk of my acreage is dedicated to pumpkins and winter squash, and I don't want pumpkins in August. Frankly, it's too hot for all my spring crops, and I wouldn't mind cooler weather. We have decent moisture, but we could use a little more--which it looks like we'll get this week. Like Lucy, I'm selling asparagus like never before. With some luck, this could also be a bumper year for fruit. I have 400 feet of blackberries that are ready to burst into bloom. Lord help me but those Triple Crowns are loaded. Peaches will take forever to be thinnned--they really set. I just hope I can keep the hordes of insects at bay. I anticipate a really buggy year. I'm already seeing a lot of stink bugs around the mulched trees.

Brook,

I am also hoping for a bumper Wild Sandplum crop this year to make Sandplum Jelly. The cold spring and late freeze last year killed all the blooms. I went hunting for Sandplums last year for 2-3 hours and I found 1. I hope this year we will get tons! If we do I will freezing lots of juice.

I agree about the spring crops, it is too hot and I am afraid that the ones I have in are going to bolt early. I didn't even plant some thing in the high tunnels for an early crops such as radishes and haikuri turnips. I direct seeded outside and they are looking great. That is also another reason I am planting other things early to help fill that possible gap.

I also transplanted zucchini in a movable tunnel last night. Probably will have Zucchini by May 5th, if I am lucky! Last year it was 30 days from seed to pick.

Jay

Wow, 30 days from seed to pick? I thought it was supposed to be twice that!

Just got in from survey - most of the blueberries seem to be budding well, some look a little behind (in the shade). Our soil temp is only about 40 (45 in some sunnier areas, slightly below 40 in most). Of course I don't know what it got down to last night - was 30 at 6:45AM. Can you plants peas and oats in 40 degree soil?

We haven't had much rain lately either (1/3" on Sunday, Sat had 3" of snow that melted on Sunday, but we've been dry all winter). Last month was about 1" of rain/snow, we usually get over 4.5". I'm afraid to plant - don't have any irrigation out back, have 1600sf of new beds that I would have to water with drip hose and 2 (so far) 55-gal sauerkraut barrels.

The new beds are 2ft deep sandy loam (no sides) set on toip of ledge, so they'll dry out fast. But the topsoil that my dad spread on top of ledge years ago is wet (not quite squishy), the roadway has puddles and mud in it, and where I put 200 row ft of tomatoes last year is damp too, I didn't realize we spread topsoil on top of basal till. Going to have to mound that up to plant edamame there this year (as soon as the soil warms up another 10 degrees or so), unless it stays dry, in which case the trenches will work great (why I made them - remembered dry years) but if it's like last year everything will drown.

What to do in absence of a long-range forecast?

Yes, here is the picture from August 30th. I planted the seeds on August 1. I was aiming for mid September-Mid October production. I was two-three weeks sooner and it ended sooner. It left me with very little zucchini for October.

{{gwi:82616}}

The first one I picked, disregard the bindweed!

Jay

Jay, I know what you mean about disappointing fruit last year. I'm really blessed in that I have an abundance of wild fruits and nuts on my property--blackberries, dewberries, hazelnuts, walnuts,paw paws, and persimmons. In fact, our farm is named Paw Paw Ridge after the hundreds of paw paws in our woods. There was good fruit set on all the above, but the oppressive heat and humidity took its toll, and we ended up with nothing. I've heard of sandplums but have never tried them. I'm pretty sure they're not native here.