Chance of frost?

I've heard the same thing from the older customers at the store for almost 3 weeks. Winter's not over yet, we'll still have some freezing weather. They aren't buying annuals or tomatoes. Do they know something we are overlooking? Maybe. I have seen snow in late April in NC. But look at our forecast.



Relying on the 10 day forecast at this point is a bit of a gamble. The National Climatic Data Center has better information. Click on the link, then your state. Find the nearest city and roll the dice. Fortunately, my town is listed.



What that tells me is that as of March 26, there is a 90% chance of a 32 degree morning. By April 11, the probability of a freeze drops to 50%. On April 27, it's down to 10%. Normally. This year isn't exactly normal. Winter was colder than normal. It was also wetter than normal. Last summer was cooler than normal. This spring, it's been and will be (for the next 10 days) warmer than normal. So what about frost?

I'm going to take a chance. Over the next week, I'll be planting out my tender brugs and possibly sowing my cucumbers, squash, and beans. The tomatoes are still too small to transplant, but they'll grow fast in this warmer weather. They'll likely get planted in the next two weeks.

So what about Easter and planting? Southerners sow their corn on Good Friday. It has little to do with religious reasons. In fact, Easter is determined by the moon phases. The first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox is Easter. There is a 35 day window in which Easter can fall. This year, the full moon was a few days ago. So this Sunday is Easter. Just after a full moon is the most fertile time to sow seeds according to the Farmers Almanac. So it makes sense that Good Friday is often used as a date to sow in the fields. Of course, none of this takes into consideration the actual weather. Northerners tend to use Memorial Day or Mother's Day as their guide for sowing tender crops. I guess I really need to get moving on filling that third bed with soil soon.

It's 54 degrees this morning. I slept with two of the windows open last night. I forgot how noisy the birds can be in the early morning. I wonder if they expect another chance of frost?

It's a beautiful sunrise this morning.

Frost warning

Last night about 9pm, a frost warning popped up on Accuweather. That's the firefox browser plug-in that I use. This morning, there's no sign of frost on the houses nearby, nor on my truck, nor anywhere that I can see. It could still form, but the chances are slim. My window mounted thermometer reads 48 degrees. Accuweather tells me it's 34 and sunny. I think someone is lying.

Yesterday I planted 6 white azaleas in the backyard. Three went into the rear beds near the Fragrant tea olives. The other three went behind the white bed. The three near the house should reach a size of about 3' x 3'. The three along the edge of the woods will reach 6' x 6'. That should give me a nice border for that bed. Cheap plants are great. $2 each for the azaleas in 1 gallon pots.

I did splurge a bit on the semi-dwarf cherry tree I purchased. I got a self-fertile variety named Montmorency Cherry. It's hardy to zone 7, but the Arbor Day map shows I am in zone 8. The USDA map shows us in zone 7b. We'll see how it performs next winter. It needs 700 chill hours to produce. It's beginning to bloom now. I doubt cherries will develop this year.

I also bought 3 more six packs of white petunias for the back beds. The plan is coming together. My kongmansia (brug) that I lost over the winter is being replaced next week. Two cuttings both rooted, but slowly died. It will be planted somewhere in the white beds. The blooms of this brugmansia should be about 18-24" long and as round as the average man's head. This time I'll be getting a plant instead of cuttings.

I also moved one of my pampas grass clumps. I'll replace it with my rooted fig tree cuttings in a few more weeks. It came out easily. I placed it in the backyard along the edge of the woods to hide the compost bin area. I might divide it this fall to create a larger screen, sooner.

No work planned for the yard today, though I might crank the lawnmower before heading to work at noon. I spent the evening in my chair in the backyard. A bobwhite was perched in the redbud tree. Doves were enjoying the fresh water in the bird bath. Robins are chasing things all over the ground. Even Daomai ventured outside for a few minutes. There was no sign of the owls.

11:03am - Lunch! It's 55 degrees and sunny. I planted the 18 petunias along the rear bed of the house. I planted out some more sunflowers in the cherry tomato bed. I planted out white and green zinnias in the white bed. And I gave everything a good long drink of water from the hose. Only the baby seedlings need water. Those plants that were put out in January and February aren't thirsty at all. I hope once my beds fill out, there won't be a need to water as much as I have in the past. More rain is forecast for Sunday, so I may try to fertilize a bit before then. I'm tempted to sow my corn and beans on Saturday, but I'm trying to wait until the 25th when the almanac tells me it's a better time. Patience, caterpillar.

Dense fog advisory and the 10 day forecast

Spring is here. There's no doubt about it. At 55 degrees this morning, it's almost too warm outside. There's lots of humidity and showers are expected again this afternoon. It sprinkled on and off yesterday. The sun even came out once or twice for a moment or two. It felt incredible on the skin and made the rain more tolerable.

Things in the garden are putting out lots of new growth, even over the course of a couple days. Rain brings down nitrogen from the atmosphere so everything, including the bermuda grass in the back yard, is bright green and healthy looking.

On the 10 day forecast, I'll be paying very close attention to the April 5 date. If on that date, there are no freezing temperatures for the next 10 days, the tomatoes will go into the garden. This weekend I will start my cukes and squash. I should be able to move a few things out of the hoophouse and make plans to bring them indoors should it freeze overnight. I'll sow them in cups like my zinnias and other flowers. I hope by mid June to be harvesting the first tomatoes and cucumbers. I hope the lettuce holds out until then. It would be nice to make a salad from my own garden for the first time.

More rain expected this evening. Strong thunderstorms are churning near the Gulf. Those should be here on Saturday. Hopefully, we can sell a lot of plants this weekend. We've got inventory coming up on Monday and Tuesday. Counting thousands of plants is not my idea of a fun afternoon.

10 day forecast

It's that time of year. I wake up every morning to check the 10-day forecast over at weather.com. Since Thursday, they have slowly been decreasing the daily highs for next week. This also means that the nightly lows drop as well. I'm anxiously awaiting the forecast that doesn't show any temperatures below freezing. Sure, I'm probably a little early for that. But it never hurts to dream.

Last night, we had a low of 21 with a very heavy frost this morning. I wonder how my wintersown seedlings in the garden are doing? It's sunny now with a temperature of 32. Today's high should be in the upper 50s. It's a nice day to be outside, after noon.

7:18pm - Notice how they keep moving the temperatures down?



This morning I have more work to do on the new project. Maybe this afternoon I can get outside for a bit and check on the plants and sprouts.

Dreaming of spring

It's 25 degrees and sunny. Tonight, the forecast is calling for 30 degrees. Thursday night should be in the upper teens and windy. I'm boycotting winter today.

Azaleas on Azalea Drive


Petunias and Marigolds


Black Eyed Susans


Coreopsis 'Full Moon'


Rudbeckia 'Autumn Colors'


Hardy Hibiscus 'Turn of the Century'


The front bed in summer. A jumbled mess. I've already reworked the shrub layout and will continue the process in spring.


Three applications to fill out today. Seeds to mail for the swap. Trying to stay warm with a second cup of coffee and a two fires going.

105 days til last frost. Crap.