Frost Warning

For any crazy gardeners out there who, like my sister and I, have planted their gardens already, I just want to tell you there is a FROST WARNING for tonight. 

I have peas, leeks, onions, parsley, lettuce, and celeriac up in my garden already. The leeks have taken a hard freeze once fairly well, but the pea shoots and the lettuce won't survive a good frost. So, tonight they will get a blanket to keep them warm.

There are a few options if you need to cover your early gardens - you can use a regular blanket, if it is light enough that it won't crush the plants. A clear plastic drop sheet works very well too, and a tarp would work as well.  My gardens are all raised beds with chicken wire bent over top to keep the critters out; I'm going to try one bed with a blanket, and one with a clear plastic sheet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here are a couple of picture from my garden, taken in the middle of March. The first are my leeks that overwintered, and the second are the carrots I harvested March 19. I'm not sure if they over wintered, or if they grew recently, but my kids and I picked them and made very yummy carrot muffins with them.

  

Comments

[Nick]

Check out this chart for the Last Expected Frost Dates in various spots in Ontario. Sarnia isn't on there, but presumably it will be sometime between Windsor's (April 25) and London (May 9).

Obviously conditions change from year to year, but it's still really early to have lettuce in the ground. But, then again, I don't know Sarnia. :)
And here's the chart: http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/ontario.html

[Megan]

I'm just a psycho gardener who can't resist warm weather. But then again, I generally plant my peas at the beginning of March, and lettuce on March break. If they die, what's the loss? If they grow, though, I've got fresh veggies May 1st :D

[Rose]

Glad to know I'm not the only eager one. Peas, a few early potatoes, spinach, swiss chard. Onions, leeks....then was planning on putting in my lettuce and carrots, and radishes but was too windy this week to be out in the garden.

[Kathleen]

I crawled out of bed at 1 am to go down and cover my sprouts. The blankets never come in these days. I did not cover my peas or lettuce though. Just have to wait and see - lots of time to replant. Although, I would hate to lose the New Zealand spinach, it's new and I only have about 20 seeds.