Surprise Frost

We got so spoiled by the 70 and even an 80 degree days that the snow showers and heavy frosts on Sunday and into Monday night seemed like a surprise. Technically though the calendar still says March 29, and we are zone 6b or 7 (depending on the year and weather patterns), which means don't get complacent with the garden!  Luckily the raised beds in the vegetable garden area do keep the soil temperature slightly warmer than the ground temperature.

Our neighbors and friends, the Hertzlers, gave us some heavy gigantic windows from a gymnasium their construction company remodeled.  The big metal-framed windows need two people to carry them over to the beds but they made an instant cold frame and protected my seedlings quite nicely.  This morning we checked on them and moved the windows off since today will be sunny, and I don't want to cook that chard just yet.  The seedlings all looked perky and happy.  So far, I have broccoli rabe, Swiss Chard Bright Lights, fancy gourmet lettuce and radish seeds, and beet seedlings all up and running.  I think the horse radish made its debut today, although the single leaf could be a weed. I had a giant weed plant in my herb bed hiding under the oregano.  I plucked a leaf and gave it to John - "Here, smell this, is it lemon balm or oregano?"

"Neither," he frowned. "I don't smell anything."

After swearing it "had" to be oregano, I realized that some obnoxious weed had crept into the herb bed and settled down.  It was the same size as both the lemon balm and oregano - both several years old at this point - so I assumed it was an herb I'd forgotten.

Out went the weed, but I'm still wondering what THAT tea would have tasted like!