This spring weather has already brought the heat of summer, more so than any other CO spring I can remember. This week we've been in the mid 80's. That's way too warm for April! It's this kind of weather that can really test the patience of a gardener. With nighttime lows in the 50's (!) we've been getting itchy to get our tomatoes in the ground. But this wacky weather will surely turn cool again and I wouldn't be surprised to see snowflakes in May at this point - it's definitely happened before.
Like most seasoned gardeners, we'll (not-so) patiently wait until mid-May to do the bulk of our planting.
So how do you like our little sign? This is our attempt at hosting a suburban farm stand. We sold a few plants last year and with Steve's over zealous planting we have many that need homes this year, too. We talk about putting out a little cart in the front yard with fresh produce for sale, but we stop ourselves from doing it every year. But slowly, this neighborhood is turning more toward the homesteading way - we have one neighbor with chickens and another who's planning her coop now. One neighbor with several hives of bees and we're seeing many more folks who are starting to grow edibles. I'd love to see a neighborhood produce co-op come together with each of us trading our extras for new flavors.
Around our garden this week, our chores included harvesting the last of the chard that overwintered. Zinnia and I collected a huge bucket-full, all of which we managed to eat for dinner the same night. Washing, re-washing and washing "one more time" was her favorite part.
We also replanted our tomatoes into larger pots. This is the last upgrade for the tomatoes until they're buried in the soil of the garden. And remember that tomato flower I was excited about last week? During our transplanting we noticed several green tomatoes.
Green tomatoes! In April!
I was aiming for Fourth of July tomatoes, but I think we may luck out and have ripe tomatoes by the Summer Solstice. Fingers and toes crossed!
What's happening in your garden this week?
