Weather Chat - 2023

blown_dry · 2023-02-04T23:18:06+00:00

A few hard frosts lately, but spring is taking hold for sure.

Krista

calico20hill Yes, lots do appear to be quite flimsy so it’s nice to know about this one so I have something to compare to. The option to zip up to additional structures is appealing too, since I do hope to someday have more room. I’m imagining you’re probably right about stock being low in the area this year, even if I don’t end up with one this spring Ive saved notes and I’ll be prepared to shop for one for next season. Thank you!

MissyWeitzel hearing you say no lows below 40s is very much the type of cut-off I’m hoping to hear. I will begin temping our beds once our nighttime temps are consistently above 40, thank you! I remember wringing my hands and worrying while hovering over my very wet beds last spring, wondering who would be making it and who might be rotting underneath the surface. Have you ever had to wait to plant later than May?

MissyWeitzel

Krista The latest I've planted is Memorial day weekend. Last year it was the first weekend in May. Looking at our long range forecast, I'm thinking it will be mid to late May this year. I'm not sad about waiting a bit. I feel behind on everything and need to get my annual soil test still.

KitCMC

calico20hill do you have an estimate of how much warmer it is in the pop-up green house than outside? I’ve always been tempted to go this route, but wonder if it would be enough to keep the tubers going in 5a? We still have nights in the high twenties and I feel like that might be too cold even with a temporary greenhouse.

calico20hill

KitCMC I don' t really know in degrees how much warmer it is but it definitely feels warmer to the skin when stepping inside. It would also steam up my glasses, Once it is up it will shelter the earth under neath it from the cooler air and the earth will warm up some. It gives the heat back into the air which is trapped in the greenhouse. On a sunny day you will have to open those windows a bit to let some of the warm air out. The screened zippered windows are very nice to have. I had a night time routine in the colder days of making sure the windows were zipped and the doors were zipped to keep the warm air inside at night. With sun on the roof in the day time you might want to let a little fresh air in and for the warmer air to escape.

Krista

MissyWeitzel Thank you! This is very helpful - and I am in the same boat with my soil test for my veg beds! And each weekend keeps filling up with to-dos. This year, the dahlias are going into grow bags and *new soil so I’m not going to worry about testing their environment thankfully. Thanks again for weighing in so heavily, very appreciated!

KitCMC

calico20hill thanks! It would make this time of year much easier.

calico20hill

This week we are suddenly going up to 80 degrees mid week! Its been so cold and so wet and so gray for so long! I'm glad I started setting my plants out while its cool and cloudy so they can start getting primed for outdoor sunlight and warmth

KitCMC

Finally warm enough for this! 4 - 5 sprouts broke through before lunchtime to see the sun ☀️

calico20hill

Home weather station says 90 degrees. Local weather station says 86 but it is down by the Columbia River. I moved the most well developed seedlings out of the greenhouse into the shade this morning, but I have an injured shoulder / elbow that makes it hard to do this. I gave it all a good soalking this morning and will do that again before night fall.

Teddahlia

Greenhouse watering in hot weather : do not soak the plants thinking they need the extra water. Wet rootballs and too much water and heat cause root rot. Yes, water them often but do not soak them too much. 89F at 3:10PM here.

Krista

I’m going to begin hardening off my plants this weekend but I’ve got so many trays of pots, by the time I get them all outside the first day it’ll be time to start hauling them back in. 🤣

calico20hill

Krista Do you have any shade trees in your yard? I like to harden mine off on tables under a shade tree. The movement of the sun means that it is only sunny for so long there then they are in shade but with outdoor air temperatures and a bit of breeze.

Krista

calico20hill Oh this is such a great suggestion, I do have places in the yard that move in and out of shade. Thank you, this will help reduce the toil of this task, tons! I seem to manage dropping a tray of plants at least once a year during the hardening off process so I look forward to a day when a rolling cart will be part of my equipment. It’s forecasted to be 75 degrees today which I believe will be the warmest day of the year for us, yet. I’ve been temping our soil and my beds were in the 70’s end of day, mid-last week but cooling down to the low 50’s by morning. I have one tiny, potted dwarf lilac which is budding so I’ll be planting dahlias soon!

Krista

calico20hill

Talk about dropping a tray once a year...Yesterday we tipped over one of my racks...Oh My Goodness...Horrifed is the best way to describe my reaction! Someone had moved the rack a bit to get the lawnmower through and not reset the brakes on the wheels. It dropped off the patio to the ground and of course tipped over doing that 5" drop. I have now spent most of the last 22 hours picking up and repotting and mourning the loss of so many of my annuals. In retrospect, I would have had left overs and I don't need many of any one thing but oh the sheer horror! Sure glad most of my tubers had the name of the variety written on the tuber because of course as they impact the earth the tag flies out of the pot! Well, its only 81 degrees so far. Wish it would stay right there!

Krista

calico20hill Oh I’m so sorry, Noni! I can commiserate wholeheartedly on that feeling of horror. I’m glad to hear you’ve been able to save some, and I hope you end up still having enough for your garden. The time it takes to repot and get them all situated again can feel so cruel, but it’s amazing how resilient those little plants can be.

NCDahlia

2 inches of rain today again, after lots of rain. I have planted 90 dahlia seedlings so far and about 25 potted tubers. I have to wait again on planting the tubers. This always happens it seems heavy spring april - may to mothers day rains.

In the past I planted as early as April 24 and also past May 13 and so no difference in bloom time. I might just do what the british to and do everything from cuttings as I think it's more fun

JessieC

NCDahlia I’m wondering the same thing about the British method. We had 4 inches of rain on Friday and about 0.75 today, after several warm and exceedingly dry weeks. I planted about 40 tubers mid-April, and they seem to be alright. I even saw a couple breaking the surface of the soil today! But it’s comforting to have all these cuttings thriving and ready to fill in the gaps!
It’s forecast to be relatively cool this week, so I’ll hold off for planting the cuttings and the rest of the tubers.

calico20hill

Here is my question. I have a LOT o seedlings and they are growing nicely. It's really too hot for them in the greenhouse when the sun shines. I have them outdoors and they are pretty well hardened off now. We have more cool weather and rain coming. Since they are hardened off, and temps are above freezing...cool but not really cold, wouldn't they be better off set out into the raised beds? They will get a lot of rain but it will drain away well. I would think that being in the raised bed would keep them warmer then being in small pots on tables .

AKWindWatcher

The seagulls are back, the sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans are passing through (using my woods and the field around the lake as a rest stop) and I've killed my first mosquito. All good signs. I'm really hoping the birch leaves pop in the next 2 weeks. Once that happens, it's safe to put things outside. (When the leaves are the size of squirrel ears.)

KitCMC

AKWindWatcher I didn’t realize the cranes made it up there!

blown_dry

AKWindWatcher I killed my first mosquitos yesterday! And the weeds are suddenly twice as tall. More sunlight. 🙂

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