For years, I have pushed the tomato-planting season using things to keep them warm in mid April. The past several years I've gotten a poor harvest. So this year, I decided to wait until the nighttime low temps were above 50F. Tomatoes don't like temps under 50F and can die at 45F. So I watched the 10 day forecast after the average last frost date of April 21 (around here). There was one night at the end of April under 50F so I waitedMay 1st, the 10 day forecast said none under 50F, so I planted 4 next to the house (well, its warmer there).
Then the 10 day forecast said there would be 1 night below 50F so I waited until after that to plant the tomatoes in the far garden. Just a couple days, may as well wait. When that cool night was passed, I looked at the 10 day forecast again, and AGAIN there was a 40's F night in 2 days. So I waited again.
Now there are 41/42F nights forecast for Sunday and Monday night! So now I have to wait til Tuesday to plant the rest of the tomatoes (and peppers and cucumbers and other warm weather crops). This is really setting the season back a bit.
It has not been this low in the nights that I can recall at this late date. It's global warming. Yes, you read that right. Global warming means that, as the Earth heats up, weather becomes more unsettled and random. Eath heat sends the weather off in more random extremes. So don't listen to some ideological or scientifically-illiterate politician tell you that global warming isn't true just becuae YOUR local weather has been cooler. Global warming does not mean "local warming all the time every day".
Speaking of good forecasting, yesterday, The Weather Channel website hourly forecast said "local thinderstorms about 9:15 pm tonight. At 9:15 pm I heard a first distant thunder!
I'll wait 2 more days to plant the rest of the tomatoes, but I will sure check the forecast to decide if I need to cover them for a little more warmth!!!
This year, I really want to try the "wait til its warm" planting idea.
I DID get a lot of weeding around the flowerbeds done today. A third. If that doesn't sound like much, it was a space 25' x 8 feet, among existing flowers. You have to walk very carefully among them to weed.
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Daffodils, Trash, And Old Electronics
I finally got about 3/4 of the daffodils planted. I have a front yard island bed surrounding the Saucer Magnolia tree and a 3' boulder ...
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Our tomatoes are already coming in! Here in Vegas they are done by the end of May, when it really starts to get hot. We always do cherry 'maters, they ripen quickly and don't split. There aren't any natural pollinators here, so hubby spritzes them with a hormone spray to get them to fruit. I miss a nice big beefsteak one!
It has been HOT! HOT! HOT! hear this year. We don't usually plant until the My long weekend, but this year our whole garden has been in for a week now - except for the tomato and pepper plants. Those we usually pick up the last week of May - first week of June, give them a week to "harden off" on the outside dining table under the canopy or we will put up our mini greenhouse for that week. Then they will go in the ground. 3 years ago we had a cold June and lost our tomatoes. You guys are so lucky!
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