I'm probably just psycho
Anyone else freak this time of year?
Seems like I have a minor panic every year about this time when I look at the garden and everything seems all lush and green, but I still only have a little lettuce to eat. lol. For some reason it feels like I didn't really plant anything even though the garden is quickly filling up its space.
I'm probably just psycho
I'm probably just psycho
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sciencegal
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Yeah, but for a different reason. Our usual last frost date is around the first week of June. This year the entire month of May was very warm. Nights were around 50, days around 80. All of us here who are crazy enough to garden were on the phone daily, asking each other if we thought it would freeze again. Many said they didn't see how it could. Well, they, (we) were wrong. This last weekend along with the heavy smoke and 60 mph wind gusts it got down to 29 on Sunday and 28 Monday night.
I start almost everything in the house under lights. But, I had most of the young greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, radishes, kohlrabi) planted about 10 days ago. Many things were frozen that I didn't expect to so I didn't cover them. I was surprised to see the watermelon radishes really take a hit and they were doing the best. Other things I forgot to cover were okay. Sometimes one young seedling would freeze but one right next to it didn't. Temps are up to around 38 now at night, going to near 90 during the day. I'm not putting out the tomatoes, cucs or squash until next week. They spend the day out in the sun, then come in at night. Maybe I'll plant beans this weekend. Maybe.
I start almost everything in the house under lights. But, I had most of the young greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, radishes, kohlrabi) planted about 10 days ago. Many things were frozen that I didn't expect to so I didn't cover them. I was surprised to see the watermelon radishes really take a hit and they were doing the best. Other things I forgot to cover were okay. Sometimes one young seedling would freeze but one right next to it didn't. Temps are up to around 38 now at night, going to near 90 during the day. I'm not putting out the tomatoes, cucs or squash until next week. They spend the day out in the sun, then come in at night. Maybe I'll plant beans this weekend. Maybe.
Wow! I'm surprised that an area that far south gets frost into June. Is it really high elevation?sciencegal wrote:Our usual last frost date is around the first week of June.
GardenRN - Yeah, I wouldn't call it panic but when I see all that lush green this time of year, I know that diseases are just around the corner and I don't have much to eat yet
I think the temp swings are just that brutal in desert climates. Can't imagine 30's at night and high 80's during the day. I complain about 30 degree swings here lol. And you're lookin at 50. I don't envy that climateorgoveg wrote:Wow! I'm surprised that an area that far south gets frost into June. Is it really high elevation?sciencegal wrote:Our usual last frost date is around the first week of June.
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Francis Barnswallow
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sciencegal
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Just over 7,300 feet in altitude. It usually freezes at night until the end of May. June is blistering hot, then the monsoons hit in July if we are lucky. So if the freeze doesn't do the garden in, it will be the wind and then the hailstorms. Cages and covers come in really handy.orgoveg wrote: Wow! I'm surprised that an area that far south gets frost into June. Is it really high elevation?
I've got a little Oregon Spring tomato out there that I did plant out before the frost and didn't cover because I was going to start over with something else. The poor looking little guy survived being potted up in some bad potting mix while his siblings didn't. Then he survived the frost. I decided it was hardy enough to give it a chance.
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applestar
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Wow good luck!
I'm at about the same place as GardenRN. Things .. It seems like mostly weeds
-- are growing and happening in the garden overnight. 
I know I already planted tons of early spring stuff and had made plans to plant warm weather stuff in succession, but somehow, things that are SUPPOSED to be done aren't and there doesn't seem to be any room at all to plant the next rotation even between the existing crops... Then I look more closely and realize its because the WEEDS are taking up the available space!
So now, each seed sowing task become a project -- chop down the weeds into mulch, add compost and amendments, and sow the usually more heavly feeding summer crops....
...and I start thinking I need to start spraying against fungal diseases with the hot humid weather starting -- milk solution first but I should get the AACT going....
I'm in a minor panic because it feels like I let things slide and I'll never get everything planted in time and yet, somehow, the kitchen and the fridge keep filling up with things that I harvested and need to be processed one way or another.... And I wonder WHY did I plant so much and why am I planning to plant EVEN MORE!!!!? 
I'm at about the same place as GardenRN. Things .. It seems like mostly weeds
-- are growing and happening in the garden overnight. I know I already planted tons of early spring stuff and had made plans to plant warm weather stuff in succession, but somehow, things that are SUPPOSED to be done aren't and there doesn't seem to be any room at all to plant the next rotation even between the existing crops... Then I look more closely and realize its because the WEEDS are taking up the available space!
So now, each seed sowing task become a project -- chop down the weeds into mulch, add compost and amendments, and sow the usually more heavly feeding summer crops....
...and I start thinking I need to start spraying against fungal diseases with the hot humid weather starting -- milk solution first but I should get the AACT going....
I'm in a minor panic because it feels like I let things slide and I'll never get everything planted in time and yet, somehow, the kitchen and the fridge keep filling up with things that I harvested and need to be processed one way or another.... And I wonder WHY did I plant so much and why am I planning to plant EVEN MORE!!!!?
I have been in something of a panic for nearly the entire month of May. It's all, pretty much, weather-related.
Another unusually cool Spring here - with only 7 days that exceeded 70°F this month. The flip side of that was the 13 mornings that had temperatures in the 30's . . . And, the coolness continues.
No unusually late frost, just a failure of warmth - wind has been nearly a constant. Little sun but rain? No, the month is actually finishing below average. So, I've been running sprinklers.
Everything is now out in the garden including those cold-sensitive eggplants and melons. With all the wind but lack of rain the soil dries and on come the sprinklers. It is almost painful to do that to the plants. Of course, growth is slow. That is true even with the cool-season crops.
The Weather Service just backed away from another predicted low in the 30's but there is no real warm-up in the forecast and no break in the wind. I am past fretting about the garden plants after a long delay in getting all of them out there. Just arriving at "normal" will make me happy.
Steve
Another unusually cool Spring here - with only 7 days that exceeded 70°F this month. The flip side of that was the 13 mornings that had temperatures in the 30's . . . And, the coolness continues.
No unusually late frost, just a failure of warmth - wind has been nearly a constant. Little sun but rain? No, the month is actually finishing below average. So, I've been running sprinklers.
Everything is now out in the garden including those cold-sensitive eggplants and melons. With all the wind but lack of rain the soil dries and on come the sprinklers. It is almost painful to do that to the plants. Of course, growth is slow. That is true even with the cool-season crops.
The Weather Service just backed away from another predicted low in the 30's but there is no real warm-up in the forecast and no break in the wind. I am past fretting about the garden plants after a long delay in getting all of them out there. Just arriving at "normal" will make me happy.
Steve
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TheWaterbug
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I really like [url=https://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KTOA&SafeCityName=Palos_Verdes_Estates&StateCode=CA&Units=none&IATA=LAX]this site for average seasonal data[/url]:
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/90274.gif[/img]
If you put in your own city or Zip code at the top it reverts back to the daily forecast, but if then scroll down the page about 40% of the way you'll see a link for "seasonal averages" which produces the above chart.
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3552590/90274.gif[/img]
If you put in your own city or Zip code at the top it reverts back to the daily forecast, but if then scroll down the page about 40% of the way you'll see a link for "seasonal averages" which produces the above chart.
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rainbowgardener
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Yeah, there is that lull between all the spring stuff and the summer stuff. I'm still mainly eating lettuce and broccoli (and herbs) from my garden and they will be about done soon ...
Flowers go that way too. I try to have something blooming in the yard from March through November. But the yard is gorgeous in the spring with all the spring flowers and again in summer with all the summer flowers, but there's a little lull in there where it's a bit empty, mainly a few iris and kerria blossoms hanging in there and the earliest lavender. The pansies I plant early are still going but tend to get buried in all the foliage.
Flowers go that way too. I try to have something blooming in the yard from March through November. But the yard is gorgeous in the spring with all the spring flowers and again in summer with all the summer flowers, but there's a little lull in there where it's a bit empty, mainly a few iris and kerria blossoms hanging in there and the earliest lavender. The pansies I plant early are still going but tend to get buried in all the foliage.
Hey Waterbug! Wunderground is a great resource. There's a school that has a volunteer weather station linked "rapid fire" to wunderground. That school is less than 2 miles from my big veggie garden and at 20 miles distance from home, the information helps me avoid panic .
Your annual weather situation sure looks interesting. Normal here now in June, should be that overnight lows match January highs . . . Your lows and highs don't show a curve like that.
But, then there's summer drought & winter rain. Yep.
Steve
It never rains in California
But girl, don't they warn ya
It pours man it pours.
Out of work, I'm out of my head
Out of self respect I'm out of bread
I'm under loved I'm under fed
I wanna go home
It never rains in California
.Your annual weather situation sure looks interesting. Normal here now in June, should be that overnight lows match January highs . . . Your lows and highs don't show a curve like that.
But, then there's summer drought & winter rain. Yep.
Steve
It never rains in California
But girl, don't they warn ya
It pours man it pours.
Out of work, I'm out of my head
Out of self respect I'm out of bread
I'm under loved I'm under fed
I wanna go home
It never rains in California