Frost in May?

[quemadmodum]

No, this is not the novel by Antonia White (which I highly recommmend). Just an unexpected blast of cold air in Western MA this weekend, including snow flurries this morning and last night with a little touch of freezing rain

Comments

[rsc]

Nice. I actually prefer my zinnias mixed (likewise my cosmos, which can be a challenge if one wants C. sulphureus); I've got seeds for zinnias and cosmos in the ground (in Gloucester), and I'm hoping the chilly temperatures will just slow them down rather than killing them. The snap peas, snow peas, lettuce, and arugula that I put in a couple of weeks ago seem to be doing nicely. I've also got some seedlings --annuals and cherry tomatoes, and some perennial violas -- under grow-lights here in Cambridge, waiting for them to be big enough (and the weather to be warm enough) to take them to Gloucester to put in the ground.

[quemadmodum]

I am pleased that it hasn't gotten really warm yet. We've harvested the first rhubarb and none of the new transplants seems to mind the low temperatures. Peas shooting ahead, ditto chard and kale. Beans went in (some) the other day and now we'll have to see whether they'll sulk for a while or sprout soon. Scarlet runners too this year, not so much for the beans (which can be tough) as for the flowers which will keep our pair of hummingbirds interested. Put in a couple of eryngiums which are doing well, and the new part of the garden looked impressive this year--waiting for a group of camassias to open as I write this.