Strawberries from the Garden

Strawberries from the Garden

Mar 20, 2012

Go with the flow! (but use frost cloth!)

 So, I don't know what the weather has been like for you in your part of the world. But I know that here in Owings Mills, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, it has been unseasonably warm for weeks. I can't get over how it seems to be late spring already. We have had several 80 degree days, and many days are in the mid to upper 70's with lows at night only in the 50's. This is crazy and it's really messing with my time table for starting seeds. 

This weekend I decided to just go with the flow because at this point my seeds will never be plant ready for the garden before it's bolting weather. So, I will save my seed planting of cole crops for the fall harvest. With that said, I went to my favorite garden center in Westminster, Maryland. (Bowman's) I went ahead and bought my cole crops and a few lettuce plants to get things started.

Today, I had an opportunity after work to plant the first Cabbage Neighborhood which at this point is a combination of cabbage, lettuce, and greens. I will be interplanting the other companions after I see which way the weather is going to go. I'll probably get some of the root veggies interplanted this weekend.

So, it was 78 degrees today and I was able to get the first bed of the garden ready. But with a couple of years experience, I also know to expect the unexpected. I used my fiberglass rods to create my hoops and then covered the bed with frost cloth that is anchored with lawn staples.

I'm going with the great weather and getting things rolling- but I'm prepared for what we sometimes call the 'broccoli snow'.  You never know . . .