Well, I wish I were talking about a new form of tag or something, but alas, I am instead speaking of the dreaded mid to late season freeze that tends to happen every year in our Inland Pacific Northwest microclimate.
The old timers who live around here have a rule that they repeated more than a news anchor has said Covid-19 in the last 12 months, Do not plant your garden until the snow is off the Hoo Doo (local mountain). I figured that people who made it to old age and predated doppler radar and computer models might have an insight regarding local growing seasons, and their advice has not failed me for the past two decades, my hat's off to you Sourdoughs!
That said, I do put in cold weather crops like peas and potatoes early, because they can take a cold snap or two. The potatoes don't like their tender emergent foliage nipped, but they will recover, and the peas, well they just seem to thrive in the below 32 scene.
As I knew it was going to freeze, I made some preparations the night before. Even though my tomato starts are in the greenhouse, I took some extra precautions and covered a bunch of them with an old waterproof, flocked mattress pad. Instead of tossing the darn thing, I reused it for plant protection. Let's just say the old thing did its job admirably and no tomatoes or baby jalapenos were harmed by the freeze.
My larger tomato plants were whisked into the house, as I wasn't sure just how hard it was going to freeze, and honestly, I wasn't going to take any chances with those beauties!
On my way out to the garden to inspect the damage the following morning, my eye was ensnared by one of our many rhubarb plants. For reference, that stump in the background is over 3 feet in diameter. That rhubarb is the size of a VW Bug. It's a good thing, I think, that I am fomenting a new rhubarb bread recipe in my cranium. Of course I might need to craft about thirty recipes to deal with the upcoming onslaught of stalks. Good thing I have a ton of family and friends...
My freeze inspection promenade took a few more twists and turns as I stopped to admire the chestnut tree. I tend to take a chestnut tree picture four times a year, as it is the most picture perfect barometer of what season we are currently in. Hello, Spring!
My nose caused the next step in my meander to the garden realm as the delightful fragrance of lilac wafted into my slightly pollen-stuffed nasal cavity. Just blooming lilacs are one of my all time favorite smells. The scent and sight of the lovely flowers dampened my freeze dread for sure.
Aside from some freeze nipped potato buds, everything in the garden was just dandy, as I had listened to my elders and not jumped the gun even though our weather was a balmy 70's and even 80 degrees last week. All across the social media sphere there were gnashing of the teeth and creative laments of crops lost. Many a Costco acquired vegetable cultivar lost their lives this week....
Which is why, as I stopped to take in the very content ducks basking in my orchard, I was thankful that I started so many extra tomato plants this year. I have a feeling a few local peeps of mine are going to need them:)
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's frost immune and currently not dwelling in a commune iPhone.
