Scouting the Weather

A lettuce mix planted before 5" of snow and 16 degree weather is growing.

I check my phone a lot these days for the weather, the full moon, temperature trends, anything to give me a better idea as to when to plant and what to plant. With global warming and wild temperature fluctuations giving me the garden crazies, it is hard to know what to do.

One day it will be in the 80s, too hot to divide and replant perennials; the next it will freeze. I have a brick structure I place a screen over to harden off seedlings, and it works very well. I can water through it and yet it is some protection from sun and wind.

A full tray of petunias and a tray of Oriental poppy Princess Victoria Louise hardened off.

An agapanthus in bud under the screen after wintering over in an upstairs window.

.So here's the deal, how do I take advantage of any frost-free weather that comes my way? I'd love to add more trays of plants under the screen and move these out, but here's the catch-- It is going to get down to 34 degrees on Wednesday, perilously close to freezing. We often seem to get a bit more of the extremes. Forecast says upper thirties, fifty-fifty it freezes. Forecast for a clear day in the mid-seventies we easily so 80 degrees. It seems to be increasingly difficult to get the cool season crops in before the heat of summer begins. Does anyone have more moderate weather these days?

Pea 'Norli' which I planted just for pea shoots is looking good.

I guess I will wait and cover, and keep other babies under the grow lights.