Frost Free

Last night was a projected frost in our area. We watched the temperature closely, and decided that we did not need to cover our plants or trees. I woke up this morning and ran to the window. At 6:00a.m., there was no frost in our area. As I was driving this morning, I did notice some areas closer to town had frost. It is always hard to predict the last cold snap in April. We should be well on our way to a warm spring. However it was last year that a horrible freeze came through after everything had bloomed and killed it all.

I have been spending some afternoons in Michael's shop transplanting young plants. I am in the process now of hardening off my squash and zucchini plants. I need to get them in the ground soon. They have been doing fantastic under the grow lights and the roots are getting root bound. This is causing the leaves to turn yellow. This is a sure fire sign that they need to be put in a raised bed. I transplanted some of them yesterday, and the roots were way too crowded.

I am also sowing more pepper seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers, and flowers. I have an abundance of things growing under the lights. I would love to have more room downstairs to grow things, but I have learned to cycle the plants in and out of the lights. I used our camping table for extra space to hold the plants while they are not under the grow lights. This is working well. Last year, I used Michael's workbenches to sit things on. He wasn't pleased when he found that I had put a flat of plants on his table saw. Let's just say water and metal don't go well together...

grace and peace,
julie