Last Frost, Please

Down to 34 this morning.  I was talking to my dear friend Sonda Bruce last night at 11:00 p.m.  it was still 46 degrees.  When the sun went down yesterday it was 54.  I was sure hoping we weren’t going to have a frost again.  At 1:00 a.m.  it was 41.  At 3:00 it dropped to 39.  Outside I went to turn on the sprinklers and cover with mulch the 14 rows of peppers and tomatoes.  Moon shining bright.  Me holding a flashlight and a hay fork.  It took 45 minutes.  How much fun can one person have.  At daybreak there was a light frost.  I’m sure glad I covered things up.  Maybe that will be the last time this year.

Blackberries May 2010

These two photos show how late spring is this year.  This first one is of the blackberries in the middle of May 2010.  Blackberry canes that grow this year are primacanes.  The next year they are floracanes and produce berries.  This picture in 2010 shows berries turning ripe on floracanes and primacanes grown up almost as tall as the floracanes filling out the rows.

Same Blackberries May 2014

This second photo taken this year at the same place same time of year show floracanes just almost ready to flower and the primacanes are just now coming up.  Some maybe a couple of inches tall.  Makes the rows look empty in comparison.  

Burning last year's Floracanes

Those rows look empty because I prune out all of last year’s floracanes and burn them in a pile.  A Picture for all you firebugs.  Time to go uncover peppers and tomatoes.