Winter in April

Another thread was looking for a place to discuss this "nice" April weather.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/700246/
Bernie

Minnesota Twins at Chicago was ppd last evening because of cold.
NW wind is still howling here, sun is out, but not much else. I don't think it's above freezing yet!
How about where you are ?
Bernie

Bernie,

being in chicago.... i could NOT even imaging what it was like "down by the lake" last night with the winds... they were howling!! well, they were here in the 'burbs (i'm about 30 miles west of the lake) not a Sox fan, so i dont follow them... but i can see why the game was ppd.

Terese

Winter has moved on... I hope! Today it is 59 degrees fahrenheit/ 15 degrees Celsius and overcast with scattered showers predicted after 4 straight days of sunny warmth ;~) daffodils and trees are blooming and the robins are feasting on worms in the still soggy from winter ground.

The muddy rivers are running green again and the hills and farmlands are spring green while wild flowers like the California poppy are popping up along the roadsides. Quite a change from the snow and cold of two weeks ago!

Hang in there, Spring will show up eventually!

My gardening soul is weeping. Most of the plants and trees around me have been hit hard. We went from weather in the 70's and 80's to weather last night in the mid-20's and tonight expected to be in mid-teens. Guess what that has done to my gardens. LIZ

Ouch! That kind of false spring and then to become frozen is heart breaking for gardeners.

One thing that has been consistant for the 70 years that I can remember is that there is always blackberry /whippoorwill winter. This one is a little more severe than most, but I have come to accept it and anticipate it. The last AVERAGE frost date still has meaning.

Seems like many years we have about a 2 week "relapse". Last year it was through mid-May....after frost days.

According to the old timers around here, this is Dogwood Winter, it'll warm up and then we'll have Blackberry Winter. Maybe then warm weather will really be here. I have seen small patches of frost on my field during the first week in June, right here in Georgia.

Indy,

I remember that cold snap last May.... a friend of my DH's (not the sharpest tool in the shed) plants 75 (yes 75) Tomato plants, and lost them all!! could you even emagine that expense. Everyone around here knows not to plant out tenders -- Memorial Day... mom's day at the very earliest... and to COVER them - especially when you know it's gonna frost.

well -- i personally think the guy is a knuckle head anyways.

I think i got mine the first week of June, and they did very well.

I think everyone, everywhere plants tomatoes to early. At our Farmers Market, people would always look for tomatoes plants in early May. Ours were to small then to sell. We would plant a nice 10 to 12 inch plant around Memorial day. Then comes early August & the people are amazed we have ripe tomatoes & their early ones are still green.
Bernie

Last year my home raised tomato transplants were ready to set out the first week of May. I set them out on the 8th I belive and it turned chilly and wet for 12 days straight. My maters all survived, but did not grow during that cold spell and some turned purple until it warmed up....they did fine after that. I don't regret setting them out as the extras I had setting in their pots for a couple weeks were a bit hurt by the delay.

My melons were very nice and needing to be set out about the 8th too. Most died the day it warmed up finally. I read where they cannot up-load water fast enough when the warm sun finally does come out. perhaps they should be covered that first warm day after several cold/wet days?

Lots of people had that happen here a number of years ago. Extremely nice May, so in they went to early. Cold spell, followed by a hot day. We lost maybe ¼ of ours. Some people lost more. Melons go in by the calender now, May 29th.
Seems they always ripen August 14.
Bernie

My hus. is a beekeeper. He is worried he will lose several of his hives this summer as the blossoms of the tulip poplars were frozen. The bees make a lot of honey from those trees. Black locusts trees around here were in full bloom and they were all frozen. Guess he will be feeding them off and on until the soy beans and cotton come in which will be in late July or early August.

We've got another snow storm on the way. This is just unbelievable. We may have 1-2 inches by Wednesday morning, and then.......another snow storm on Friday and Saturday. It's a good thing that I haven't taken the sandbags out of my pickup yet, and my snow scraper is still in there as well.

This morning the entire surface of the lake was crusted over with ice. I couldn't believe it. Luckily we did have sun all day, so the ice disappeared by noon.

Ice?
We are hearing 4-5" in the city and as you go north more and more. Was that 80º day a while back our spring, summer and fall? Are we in for another ice age?

Our snow accummulations have been upgraded to 3 - 6 inches by the time it stops tomorrow evening. It's hard to believe since the sun is shinning right now. The lake is crusted over in ice again this morning....but spots of open water are visible. Ice Age VS Global Warming.......Hmmmmm.........I know which one I'd like just a bit of right now.

I'm also in Tn. and the plants that had come out are now black It's now in the 60's but still feels cold.I hope this cold weather is finished----Beth

by the time it's all said and done, they are guessing we may get 3-5"

I hope they are wrong as usual.

just checked the radar... Iowa is GREEN. I hope that's all rain.... ah just saw the blue to the north = snow.

Weather forecast last night said 6 - 10 inches today with about 2 inches for the morning commute.

This morning.........no white stuff yet but has been upgrade to 6 - 12 inches before its over. I uncovered then last week recovered and not uncovering again til May 30th. I'm just sick the hyacinth and daffs that were up are frozen over and lying on the ground.

I do so hate this weather.

>>I'm just sick the hyacinth and daffs that were up are frozen over and lying on the ground.

oh -- that is heart breaking. I dont have any bulbs here (did at my old house) but i just love Daffs and Tulips. All the ones that are up in my area are all wilty too..... and it bet now, covered in snow.

I had other things peeking through the soil that is mainly the reason I revocvered everything. My alluim, the crown imperial, phlox, black eye susan, bee balm my peony buds were beginning to show. All my lovelies and I'm just in a snit over it all. DH says get over it we're in WI well bully for our side.

Well the snow didn't start until this morning. It is coming down hard and it is windy. The temperature is 34º. My winter sowing containers all have white caps.

Marie, how will the ice out date be figured if the lake is refreezing?

This message was edited Apr 11, 2007 8:04 AM

zen,

we are at 34 also. snowy and windy too. (ESE @ 21mph)
we should get to around 37, which hopefully will bring rain.

I have my containers "nestled" together on the front porch, and i thought they'd be out of the snow... but nope, they have snow on top. I have one container with no lid, so i covered it with a towel -- i had to restrain myself from bringing it in.... it's funny -- i can hear Shirely said, "It will only weaken the stems" LOL
so i left it outside.

We're not expecting any sun until Sunday, which they are guessing will be 51. YAY.

tcs, It is 29º right now, but the sun is shinning and we have been promised 40º today. 55º by Saturday, then I can check the damage in the winter sowing containers. I hope with all the snow some of it got into the containers to water them.

ah... you are gonna be warmer that us.

right now 34 and gloom, lite rain too i think -- or it has stopped already.
tomorrow, part sun/clouds and 47... so that will be a bonus.
though it does seem the forecast is almost changed hourly.

I'm guessing that the refreezing will be ignored since it did melt again by the end of the day. We've got so much wind since then that it keeps the lake stirred up and there hasn't been any more icing over.

I had to shovel a bit this morning......and it put me in a very bad mood. I'm trying to tell myself how pretty it is (it really is) and that if this was December, I would be thrilled. I'm working big time on my perspective right now. I also fully realize that we really dodged the big snowball up here. The worst of the storm went south of us. My sympathy to all of those folks south of I-94......they were even without power last night for a while.

Just got the weather report...ANOTHER week of freezing (literally) temps. GRRRRR.... TAmara

We are looking at the 50's and 60's thank goodness.

50* out there now with a little sunshine. A couple more days of drying out hopefully I can get the two maybe three new beds started so I can plant soon.

we were roughly mid-40's today.

I wanted to go to Wisc til Monday (where it's sunny and warmer than it is here), but Dh said he wants to go next weekend... i'm like, "yeah, when it's rainy and 40's"

0h well, win some lose some.
...ops - jsut checked the long range forecast, and it looks better.. at least some sun.

I hope i see some hostas peeking out.