May 03, 2019
I found some cracks in the ground by my peas and covered them with decomposed stall cleanings. Peas like moisture more than warm soil, so mulching them this early in the season is not a problem. The birds keep scratching the straw mulch up against the beans and I have to keep pulling it back because the beans need warm soil. All your Cole crops would like some mulch this time of year as the soil dries and warms, but keep it back from your squash, melons and cucumbers until at least May 15th..
I had to water the artichokes that were wilting in the afternoon sun and found the beginnings of our spring harvest nestled down in the center of each stalk. Copious mulch surrounds them all year with a brief "pull back" mid winter to give the birds a shot at the hiding slugs. Sometimes some Deadline is required but it seems if the slugs are provided ample tender decomposing organic matter they will leave the tougher artichoke stalks alone..
May 04, 2019
The frosts continue every night, and have begun taking their tole. Inside my mini greenhouses the zucchini and watermelon have burned outer leaves. I've never had this happen before but I heard the wind turbines on at 4:00 AM yesterday and they were still on at 7:30, so it was a long cold spell. Dropping into the 30s for an hour or so is not damaging to my plants because of the heat retention of my shelters, but three hours sub freezing is their max I guess..
The corn leaves that are touching the top of the wire hoops got burned because they were too close to the plastic. One of my tomato plants has burnt leaves even though it was fully enclosed, and the other has an entire burnt top because the wind blew the lid off the cold frame. The beans took a hit, and even some of the peas have burnt leaves, which I've never seen before..
May 05, 2019
If you're as tired of eating the tough overwintered beets as I am the farthest thing from your mind is probably planting more beets. In a couple of months, after you've been eating corn, beans, and zucchini every night, the sweet tender beets will be welcome. While you're at it plant a row of Scarlet Nantes carrots. Short and sweet, you'll be harvesting in 68 days. Dig through your old seed packet box and see if you can find a half empty packet of green onions..
I never plant a whole pack in one year so I've always got half a pack left. The same goes for lettuce. Check all your old seed packages and plant the ones that are the oldest. You can plant pretty much everything this time of year using boards over the cool season crops and clear plastic over the warm ones..
