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glen3a

March: in like a lamb or lion?

glen3a
16 years ago

Some years it's hard to judge. -21C and clear right now, after a day of snow earlier on and high winds, blustery (though technically that was Feb 29th). Now it's suppose to be mild (-1) on the weekend but windy as anything and a change of flurries or even rain.

Anyways, I love the word March, it means we don't have too much time to go with winter. All I usually hope for is an average spring, not too early, not too late.

Anyways, gardening wise I have ordered my seeds (tomato, cucs, marigold and wave petunias) but haven't started anything yet. What's the earliest anyone has started tomatoes indoors? I started mine indoors early last year and planted in a kozy koat. This year I might try starting a bit earlier yet. If a tomato plant gets wild and spindly looking, you can always pinch it back somewhat, can't you?

Feels good to be thinking about such things once again,

Glen

Comments (16)

  • Pudge 2b
    16 years ago

    It's quite lamb-ish here today. Although kinda cloudy, there's little wind and it's -7 this morning with the temp supposed to be going up to +3.

  • northspruce
    16 years ago

    Nice and lamb-ish right now! It's only -4 but sunny. I too love the word March, it's all downhill from here.

  • debbie_z2
    16 years ago

    well it was really nice, warm and calm when I went to work at 5am this morning, but since mid morning, it has been super windy and quite nasty out. Hopefully that counts as "in like a Lion".... I'm really ready for some nice spring weather and it can't come too soon for me:)
    Debbie

  • sazzyrose
    16 years ago

    It was growling here today. I'll have to try and remember to pay attention at the end of the month as well. I forgot about it last year until mid April.

    And yes Glen, you can pinch back tomato plants.

    Shelley

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    16 years ago

    Looks like it will be lionish here - two Alberta Clippers and some cold weather (YUCK, already!!!) predicted for this week. BUT, the temperatures in the next week should be up to around normal. That's all i'm asking for - normal and above. This has been such a long winter.

    Glen, i don't remember the earliest i've started tomatoes, but it's usually sometime in March. I'm not bothering this year because our Hort. Club has a plant sale in May and people always bring tomato plants in. I tried the Kozy Koats again last year and they sure helped!

  • xtreme_gardener
    16 years ago

    Definately came in with a lion around here...nasty blizzard with north winds, then yesterday and today were back down in the -20's. Supposed to start climbing to above normal temps tonight.

    It does feel good to start doing more than just dreaming and planning :) Although I had the most wonderful dream the other night when it was so incredibly warm...there was still lots of snow on the ground and I was out in the greenhouse (that's when I knew it was just a dream!) and I had all these shrubs growing in there that were blooming the most pretty and delicate spring blooms. And it was so warm! Then I went outside and I found more blooming...then the darn phone rang and that was that! One of those dreams you wish you could fall back into and continue, but it was nice while it lasted :)

    I ordered some kozy coats from William Dam with my seed order, too. I'm just going to buy tomato plants though, maybe I'll start some next year. Do cats eat tomato plants I wonder?

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    16 years ago

    My cats have never eaten them, Toots. I think they're pretty strong tasting, and the smell would probably put them off.

    Lovely dream you had - i've had them too. I think it's a sign of desperation!

    The snow is finished here for the day - well, it looks like it is, anyway - and we only ended up with a couple of inches. I've been looking around outside, and there are places near the house where it's actually melting. :)

  • northspruce
    16 years ago

    Toots so funny you had that dream, because the night before last I had one where I was outside and looking at my flower beds and the peonies were sprouting. Not that they come up first by a long shot, but in my dream they were :0)

    I can't imagine a cat eating a tomato plant, they are so stinky like Marcia says.

  • kashacres
    16 years ago

    I started some tomato plants early February a few years back. The plants did well under grow lights. Only problem was lack of space as these were three feet high by April. I did not notice a huge difference in crop maturity compared to the younger plants. This year I think I will start the palnt late March.

  • prairierose
    16 years ago

    Our March 1st was a definite "not sure" - but more on the lamb side. We had a early snow flurry, followed by very strong winds, followed by a breezy, sunny, melty sort of afternoon - a little bit of everything!
    Connie

  • prairiewinds
    16 years ago

    Hey all! Just thought I'd give you a hint of MT weather this week..Seriously in like a lamb.. 65 degrees Monday. Wow, I couldn't believe it! Needless to say, I'm hesitant to get too motivated because we always get a late blizzard here.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    16 years ago

    One bit of "weather wisdom" that i've heard is - and i think i've mentioned this - is that the weather you have on Good Friday is the weather you'll get for the next 30 days. Good Friday is next week, so note the weather! Another one i heard from a friend. She said her father always used to say "Comme le trois, comme le mois", which, roughly translated, means that the weather on the third day of the month is the weather you'll get for the whole month. On the third of March it was sunny and cold, if i remember right, and the weather has sort of followed that - mostly below normal and not a lot of precipitation. I want sunny and WARM on the third of April - putting my order in right now! :)

  • marilenav1
    16 years ago

    Our weather here has been pretty bad. We got a huge storm with 51 cm of snowfall in one day last week. From what I'm seeing on the weather network, we will continue to have cold weather with below average temperatures. Also, following Marcia's theory of Good Friday, it's going to be colder than average here! I wonder if spring will ever come.

    As I look outside, all I can see is white. We must have 2 feet of snow out there and in some areas where the plows have been, the snow is up to the crown of the tree in my front yard. I am a little jealous of the people in Alberta who have had seasonably mild temperatures. My friend in Red Deer has been using her cold frame to acclimate her plants for the last week or so.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    16 years ago

    Just isn't fair, is it? It has turned colder here too, but not as cold as first predicted, so that's a blessing. It's really white out here as well. Funny, i get sick of white pretty quick, but never get tired of green!

  • sazzyrose
    16 years ago

    Mother Nature likes to tease, doesn't she? It was 10 out the other day and you could see the water run. I was all pumped and so happy that we were getting an earlier spring. My WS was thawed out in the greenhouse and I was thinking that I must move the containers out.
    Then it turned colder snowed yesterday here too.
    I'm with you Marcia...I'm sick of white.

    Shelley

  • Laurie_z3_MB
    16 years ago

    That's funny Marcia about the "weather wisdom" tidbits, it seems that eveyone has their own!lol My dad always said that the weather you have on the full moon, you'll have for the next 30 days....so there's another theory to test out.;^)

    I'm with everyone else about being sick of looking at the white stuff, but we've had far less snow this winter than we should have had, and that's got me a little worried about precipition as a whole for this summer. I'm sure glad we decided to get a dugout.....I just hope there's enough snow to fill it though.