Take Two Falls and Call Me in the Morning
What just happened? It was fall and I was putting the garden to bed; now it is spring. Winter danced by, disguised as a cross-dresser between autumn and a spring. Do you feel disoriented like me?
The weeds do not seem to mind the mild winter we just experienced. They appear to be celebrating, sending up flowers, and some even setting seed for next year’s garden chores. This gardener feels behind already. Normally this time of year, it is too windy, too rainy, too much hail hitting the ground, or too cold. Today the warmth was a whisper fooling me into thinking it is early summer. I feel nervous that I have not planted much in the garden, besides a few hardy shrubs and perennials.
The window of opportunity this year is going to be long. We are all anticipating summer excessively early for our maritime climate. Pardon me while I jump feet first into the garden. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I want to celebrate the warm summer day. The calendar must be lying; there is no way today is a March day. I am sure many of you are feeling the same way. We must not let this weather make us believe we can plant our heat loving flowers and vegetables too soon. We will probably have a few more frosts and seasonable spring weather, typical of this area. We can ready the garden, pull some weeds, mow the lawn and empty out our containers of dead plant material. Yet patience is called for. Enjoy the early bulbs blooming, but do not plant those tomatoes just yet!
The unusual weather patterns this year has many of us feeling a little unnerved. Toto, I have a feeling we are not in the Pacific Northwest anymore.
by Debbie Teashon
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton
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