Global what?
There is no global warming going on around here this week. It’s May, and I actually had to chop wood for the wood stove today.
The boys and I moved the chickens outside into their mobile summer run last weekend. The weather was very warm and the orchard grass was getting long, and the bugs were starting to fly around. All of the apple trees were in full bloom, and the pear tree was finishing up. Bees were flying all over them. We were having visions of wheelbarrows loaded with apples like in years past.
Several days later, I was hurriedly stapling plastic on the chicken run before the huge dark clouds could soak all of them. Fifteen minutes later we had a hailstorm that blasted everything with almost marble sized hailstones. Luckily it was brief. The trees kept most of their blossoms and the chickens were in good shape too.
The watermelons were moved outside on the same day as well. They were safe from the hail under their glass and hay bale hot frames. Safe from the hail, but maybe not safe from the cold that has lingered here all week long. I really wanted these melons to be coming on earlier than late August and September. Starting them early was the only way to get them to that productive age by July. They aren’t exactly thriving in there, but they aren’t dying either. The transplanting from seed cell to the garden only resulted in two casualties.
Driving home from work one evening last week was like driving back in time to December. The fields and rooftops became gradually whiter the closer I got to home.
There was some question about this being snow or hail. It seemed softer than the hail we had earlier in the week. A friend from this area saw this storm coming and said it looked like a white wall several miles wide, and when it hit it hailed for five minutes straight.
Now with all of this snow/ice sitting on top of them I didn’t even look under the glass until the next day. I really didn’t think they would make it. They were fine, and the fruit trees were in good shape as well. I am thinking our hail was more like snow or our trees would have been bare.
I was concerned the bees would be gone after all of the cold we had. It warmed up today, and the bees were back working overtime on the orchard trees. It could be a great harvest.
May 4th, 2010 at 4:47 am
Over here it’s been really cold as well. I haven’t done anything garden wise yet (we’re putting in a driveway where I previously had my garden) but I’m glad too. It’s cold here: usually we have 60’s weather in early May, sometimes 70’s. Now it’s in the low 50’s, brr!
May 4th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Hey, I was researching endive because my recent interest in root cellars and over wintering the harvest that way. Have you ever grown it? Eaten it?
I think I’ll put a link to your blog on my sight with specific reference to the gardening sections.
Laura
May 4th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I made the mistake of planting green beans in the greenhouse….green beans grow really fast I discovered and I had to move them outside because they were trailing up the greenhouse walls. I bought a frost blanket. They were doing fine until the cut worms started to attack. It is doubtful two will survive. But that’s ok. I have more seed. I worry about the cold, but I am hoping the frost blanket will do the job it’s supposed to until this crazy weather warms up!
May 4th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
I think we did do some curly endive once in the greenhouse. It was good too!
May 7th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
So glad the fruit blossoms survived. I wonder how many cherries our trees will have after such a bounty last year. Seems like we get a cycle of a good year then a lean year. I will look forward to hearing about your harvest.