The good news is, we got everything planted last weekend with help of friends. The bad news is, we got a frost the other night and it wiped out half of the plants. Thanks Mother Nature, you’re a wonderful lady. Of course it’s back to the mid 80’s this week.
It’s back to planting today to replace our little plants that didn’t make it. Have a Happy and Safe Memorial Day everyone!
As a fellow gardener, you have my heartfelt sympathies. We also had a late frost here this year. Very wacky weather this May. Worst I’ve seen in ages. But I remember a cold snap in June once.
So sorry to hear that frost got so many of the plants, Truly hope that the new ones will do much better this time around!
Oh, I am sooo sorry! We’ve had similar frustrating goings-on…my tomatoes got sunburn when I first put them in (sunburn? seriously?) and then cold, cold, cold! I don’t know what’s going to happen when they start fruiting…
The weather certainly makes gardening a challenge but we all keep coming back for more. Hoping for better luck for you this time.
Not sure what that says about us all! 😉
This is always a hard lesson to learn. I am gardening in north western MA and have learned over the years that no matter when Memorial Day falls never, ever plant anything before May 31st. I’ve replanted enough over the years to not let my enthusiasm with warmer weather overcome my experience of replanting.
Amen!
We had exactly the same, though we only lost a couple of runner beans http://chooksandroots.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/frost-hits-the-runner-beans/
I feel your pain. Here in central Virginia, we are having a similar spring. I have held off planting and sowing seed for more that three weeks. 34 one night then 90 highs a few days later. At least we are receiving rain. Ever use row cover for those chilly nights? I realize you have a lot to cover, but maybe a few rows covered would make a difference. Aren’t we glad we do not live in OK??
Try Phenology next year – using plant indicators as to when to put out your plants. I won’t put my tomatoes out until my lily of the valley are in full bloom. Works great as it can be micro-climate specific. Good luck!
Here in NH, we’ve had the same kind of strange weather. It was 38 degrees yesterday morning and towns about an hour north got several inches of snow. I can feel your pain from the hard work and loss of plants and if I was closer I’d head over and help put a few in myself.
I empathize. Here in the Toronto area, we resurrected our fig tree (the same fig tree lauded in my new book A Good Home) from the garden bed trench where it lay nicely covered up with soil over winter. We were so cautious! Dug it up, replanted it upright, with its nice little green shoots, when along come two nights of 3 degree weather. We’re hoping the tree is okay.
But not so sure if the apple blossoms froze. I guess we’ll find out soon.
So sorry for your wee seedlings: blessings on the new planting! Frost swept through our gardens, too, but not long enough to damage the old perennials…we were worried, given the onslaughts of last summer’s drought…so far, so good…tentatively hopeful.
In our neighborhood in Houston, we had a terrible hail and wind storm the last week in April. I had to start over lettuce, pok choy, and cucumbers! The tomatoes took a beating, along with green bell peppers, but I picked and discarded damaged fruit, and new leaves and fruit are coming along. I can’t wait to see the photos of your garden as it matures!
So sad. When will you start planting again? Maybe I could help?
I hate that when that happens! One year, just after planting it decided to snow! I ran down to the garden and covered what I could with over turned pots! Sorry for your loss!
Sorry about your plantings. 😦 The weather has been so weird this spring…
Yeah. That happened to us last year. So much work, and to have it wiped out by a frost. We lost all our squash and tomatoes. Oddly, most of the peppers survived the frost.
Aww! That’s really is tough. Time lost is always frustrating in the garden. Mother Nature can sure be capricious!
Hey Dan! We got hit too, but did not lose all of our plants. We covered them up with blankets and boxes to protect them. We feel for you as we know how many plants you have on your farm. Mother Nature is cruel, eh? Hopefully this will be the last frost we will see.
Yeah, I lost some seedlings to frost here too, yesterday morning. Lorain Ohio.
A late frost is very harsh. Here is England we have a saying “ne’er cast a clout till may be out”
Extras for the bunnies, bugs and deer – OK. But for freezing temps in May. That’s just not fair!
Major bummer – looks like you’re on the rebound, though. Hubby planted beans and peas a few weeks ago, and so far, thank the LORD, they’re doing OK. He has everything else in the greenhouse, waiting for another week or so to be on the safe side. We haven’t had a frost, but sure have had some swingin’ temps around here lately.
My condolences for your losses. For future, floating row covers? If the weather insists on being erratic, we need to adjust.
So sorry to hear about the frost – I too find row covers very helpful. We had 2 weeks of warm early May weather and then cold. Row covers really helped.
Two weeks ago when frost hit my plants here is Chicago half of them survived anyway with a good watering and some sun. The peppers did not make it, but the tomatoes and squash had just a tiny bit of green that kept them going, and now they are fine. I guess you can tell when there is really no hope.
Your soil looks very dry 😦
Quite simply, that sucks! I’m sending you warm vibes, and hoping for the same myself. We had to put out protective mini hoop houses for our tomato plants, which were desperate to get outside; so far, so good.
Mama Weather is queen. We are not queen. I feel your pain.
So heartbreaking! It’s always such a worry at this time of year….
Two weeks or so ago, we were sweating in the high 80’s way up here in the Tug Hill Plateau (aka The Snowbelt)…last 3 days were sweater weather…and last night we got a frost…and it will be in the 90’s by the weekend – gotta love Mother Nature – fortunately, we hadn’t planted yet, but we lost some leaves on some young trees…
So sorry to hear about your damaged newly transplanted plants…devastating, to say the least! It’s been a crazy spring here too (Maine) – up and down, frost advisories – covering and uncovering of plants…I still have yet to transplant anything out yet, out of fear…though I think we’re all in the ‘home stretch’ now and it seems as though summer is going to begin immediately!! Bring on the sun I say! Best of luck with your new, newly transplanted, re-plants and may the frost be gone!! Hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed the spectacular weather (and plant friendly) weather.
So so sorry to hear =( We had the same frost.
OMG! That cold in May??? I’m sorry and pray that thing will get better soon. Aloha!
So sorry about your plants! Ohio weather is crazy this time of year. I have a small container garden which got moved into the garage for a few days when the frost warnings started. I hope the weather starts cooperating!
Granted our garden is smaller but the same frost wiped ours out too (we’re just down the road so to speak) – tomatoes, cucumbers (including all the ones we grew from seed) and pepper plants. My aunt says if we spray them with water before the sun hits them that might have saved them. I have a love hate relationship with mother nature. My stubbornness made me refuse to believe we should be getting frost this time of year and my laziness meant I didn’t go out and cover anything. It was 85+ just a couple weeks ago!….Grrr. 🙂
Oh, man, it’s so devastating when Mother Nature throws a wrench in the works. I know how frustrating it is. Good luck with the 2nd planting!
Feeling your pain in Brunswick 😦
I try to only plant cold tolerant stuff before Mem. Day: I plant peas, lettuces, garlic and some radishes. After Mem. Day, I plant corn, tomatoes, etc. Doesn’t always work, I have some self-seeding greens (mustard mostly) that don’t like the cold, and this year I lost a lot of my winter hardy stuff, coz I’d cleared the beds: most of the kohl rabi, swiss chard, and brocoli and the br. sprouts that were too small last fall — alas!
Oh dear, that’s too bad, losing all those carefully nurtured plants! Fingers crossed the replacements will be doing well!!
Boo hiss! I hope you have recovered from the unpredictable weather.
We’ve had crazy weather this spring too. Frost in late may and temps in the 90s a week later. And it has rained seemingly continuously since March. I just told my wife yesterday that in years like this gardening sometimes just doesn’t seem fun anymore. Hoping for a more weather-sane summer and hope your replanting all went well.