As you can see from the date above. I’ve been trying to get this update finished and posted for a few days now.

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The biggest news since the last update has to be the weather.  There’s really no other way to put it – it’s been crap.  It’s been cooler to cold, rainy, and generally overcast.  In case you’re wondering, these are horrible conditions for this time of year.  Also, I don’t know if this turned up in any weather forecasts you may have seen, but it snowed on Monday morning (5/8), and then flurried on and off for most of the rest of the day.

For those who may not know, allow me to explain why the weather right now is as bad as it is for growing.  The overcast keeps the plants from developing as quickly as they should.  The cold also inhibits growth, along with the ever-present risk of frost and freeze. The rain… well the rain would be welcome, if it came about 3 weeks or so from now.  However, given the amount it’s rained, and the timing between storms, the field is a veritable mud pit right now.  This puts a halt on all work with the tractor, and means I can’t put the raised rows or plastic mulch in that I need to for the plants.  And, of course, there is also the drowning risk for plants in some of the lower areas.

So, right now I have plant trays stacked all over the place, with as many under grow lights as possible.  Kerns Nursery has been fantastic about working with me on taking delivery of the started plants, helping keep me from being totally overwhelmed due the weather delays.

With all that said, and the weather looking to improve only slowly over the coming week or so, I still believe that I’ll be able to stick with the tentative opening date of June 16th.  That date, of course, is subject to significant change if the weather stays as cold as it’s been.

Here’s what is in the field already:
Tomatoes, Lettuce, Broccoli,
Cauliflower, Cabbage, Carrots,
Radish, Beets, Onions, Snap Peas,
Scallion, Basil, Kale, and Potatoes

As soon as the weather cooperates:
Additional Tomatoes, Lettuce,
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage,
Radish, Beets, Carrots, Radish
Onions, Basil, Scallions, and Potatoes

Plus, I also have these other items that are just coming ready to plant outside:
Zucchini, String Beans, Swiss Chard,
Pak Choi, Eggplant, Peppers, and Mint

Over the next 2-3 weeks, pretty much all of the varieties of produce that I will be planting should be in the field, with the very delicate plants going in closest to Memorial Day Weekend.

I guess that’s about all for now.  If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email, text, or give me a call.

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Since I wrote this a few days ago there is an additional update to the information above.  The extremely cold weather overnight Wednesday to Thursday appears to have seriously damaged the early planting of tomatoes, even though they were under plastic poly tunnels.  I knew the risks of planting tomatoes so early up here, and except for that one day, all would probably have worked out.  I won’t know the full extent of the damage to them until I pull the plastic later this week and remove the dead and dying plants.

It also appears that there was even some slight damage to cabbage, broccoli, and kale plants during the very cold temps, though those plants look like almost all will pull through.

Let’s hope that’s the last of winter we’ll see until sometime in October.