a mixed bag

It's been both a gratifying and frustrating season.  Statistically we are having one of the warmest springs (March and April) in decades.  But then things normalized and the week when I was hoping to plant my started sets is now 20 degrees cooler than average.  We had frost advisories last week, thankfully combined with lots of rain which I think protected much of our plants.  As others in the country know, advanced perennials (berries and fruit trees) can be problematic when they are blooming when a cold snap hits.

So I'm stalled with garden progress this week.  When you're looking at a seven-day forecast, its frustrating when the highs are barely what you want your lows to be (today's high was 48!).  Things are looking warmer--after another inch of rain--by this weekend, so I'm sure I'll be caught up soon and my stretching tomatoes will be happy and in the ground.



On the bright side, its been a boon for early season crops.  I have more lettuce than I can give away, we're harvesting spinach for dinner tonight, and many of my garlic plants are taller than our 3 foot garden fence.  The broccoli and cabbage seem to grow an inch every time I peek under the row cover, some of the savoy cabbages look to be starting to form heads already.


I feel better when I start to realize how much food we will have to eat before those tomatoes arrive!