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rachel597

Time to Plant the Garden....or is it?

rachel597
14 years ago

Memorial Day is usually the safe date for planting the vegetable garden in my area. So I planned to take advantage of the long weekend to get some work done.

I have to say, planting the SFG is so EASY compared to the traditional garden. This is my first year trying SFGardening and so far I like it very much.

I finally got most of my transplants in the gardens by late afternoon Monday. I was exhausted and all my muscles ached. I took a long shower and got into some comfy clothes and planned on putting my feet up and taking it easy for the rest of the evening.

But all that changed when we turned on the local weather I couldnÂt believe what I was hearing: FROST ADVISORY OVERNIGHT. Are you kidding me!? It was 80 and 90 degrees just last week?!

So I gathered all the old sheets and pillowcases I could find and we worked on covering the newly planted transplants. Luckily the plants were so small I could place large pots over most of them to create a shelf for the sheet to rest on. The pillowcases fit snugly right over the tomato cages. We covered up all we could and hoped for the best.

Luckily, there was only one casualty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Visit My Blog: GrafixMuse's GardenSpot

Comments (10)

  • sinfonian
    14 years ago

    Wow! Great success story. You'd have thought you were fine. Good thing they do frost advisories there. I don't think they do here.

    Glad you had the energy after all that to provide your transplants some frost protection. Way to go.

    I'm also glad you are enjoying SFG. It is pretty easy work wise.

  • greenbean08_gw
    14 years ago

    I planted my tomatoes, peppers, squash & cukes with a milk jug of colored water next to them to help keep them warmer. I also have them covered with either a row cover, a sheer curtain or clear plastic around them. I set them up so I don't have to uncover them for warm weather if I'm not here. Thankfully, we haven't had any frosts, just chilly nights.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

  • rachel597
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yes, I thought I would be fine planting this weekend. I really should know better as it isn't unusual to have a frost this late. I was stunned when I heard, I am glad I did catch the news that night.

    Amy, I like your little micro climate setups. Your plants look all snuggled up and ready to face any cold weather. I may have to borrow your ideas if our weather doesn't improve soon. We have such a short growing season that the plants need all the help they can get.

    Here is a link that might be useful: GrafixMuse's Garden Spot

  • mmqchdygg
    14 years ago

    Hey neighbor!
    What is UP with that, anyway?! Hope that's the last of it!
    My babies all survived; we didn't get the frost that was predicted.
    Good luck with your garden; I'm a noob SFGer, too. Isn't this WAY better than traditional long rows??!!!!

  • rachel597
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I know! Crazy considering the warmer weather we had just days ago. Now it's cold and rainy...not good. Hope to see some sun this weekend.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Visit My Blog: GrafixMuse's GardenSpot

  • greenbean08_gw
    14 years ago

    Our weather can be unpredictable and we have really cool nights - even in summer. I figured I'd give them a warmer head start. I'll probably leave the rocks and possibly the water jugs with the peppers all summer to see if they'll do a little better this year.

  • defrost49
    14 years ago

    Up until 2007 I had reduced my garden to a few pots of tomatoes and one small raised bed. We lived on a little hill surrounded by oak trees. I doubt if Monday's frost would have hit. The trees helped keep some warmth in the yard plus being on a hill helped. We got a light frost at our new place. Fortunately my husband saw the frost advisory and suggested we cover everything. Good thing we have a lot of 5 gallon buckets because we never throw anything away. Looks like I lost a few transplants that weren't covered. Since I had never covered anything before I wasn't sure about how to handle tablecloths on melon seedlings. I had some cheap plastic short fencing that I stuck in the ground to keep the cloth from smothering the plants. Seems to have worked ok.
    I'm counting on this nice rain to be followed by SUN and higher temps ... like we should have for this time of year.

  • mmqchdygg
    14 years ago

    rachel- love your blog. What a perfect solution to do with those old tomato cages that I personally find totally useless! They'll look a lot nicer on that black plastic instead of the rocks & bricks that I've currently got on there!
    Love your SWC, too!

  • rachel597
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    ----
    Posted by defrost49: Looks like I lost a few transplants that weren't covered. Since I had never covered anything before I wasn't sure about how to handle tablecloths on melon seedlings. I had some cheap plastic short fencing that I stuck in the ground to keep the cloth from smothering the plants. Seems to have worked ok.
    ----

    Sorry a few transplants didn't make it, good thinking about using the short fencing to make a little tent. I also was a bit perplexed as to how to cover some of the small plants without smothering them.

    I think this is the first time I have had to do this in the spring. I guess I have been lucky in the past with no early frosts. Or maybe I planted later.

    Here is a link that might be useful: GrafixMuse's Garden Spot

  • rachel597
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    -----
    Posted by mmqchdygg: rachel- love your blog. What a perfect solution to do with those old tomato cages that I personally find totally useless! They'll look a lot nicer on that black plastic instead of the rocks & bricks that I've currently got on there!
    Love your SWC, too!
    -----

    Thank you, I am glad you like the blog. It is a lot of fun and it certainly keeps me motivated to keep up with the gardening chores. I am pleased that others are enjoying it too.

    I also have a bunch of rocks, bricks, logs and scrap lumber holding some of the plastic mulch down. I just didn't post any pictures of it :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: GrafixMuse's Garden Spot

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