Maybe May isn't a time to plant . . .

Our gardens are located on the edge of the USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 4a /5b, with our last median killing Spring frost somewhere between May 3 and 16. The long, cold winter of 2007-2008 was quite the season for us as we recorded nearly 100 inches of snow. Thus, when the snow finally melted, the plots were staked, water tanks installed, and the straw delivered, we could hardly wait to get out the trowels, hoes, and seeds.
Our Opening Day, May 3 was not the sunny and warm one we had hoped for, but we bundled up and got the work done anyway!




Once the plots were ready, temperatures moderated and many of us yielded to the temptation to plant. Seed crops, such as lettuces, peas, chard, spinach, and onion plants can withstand lower temperatures, but tomatoes, peppers and annuals are not as hardy. Thus, when the weather report forecast a colder than normal night, most gardeners were found scurrying around finding covers for their tender plants. The most inventive gardener managed to create a low-level "greenhouse" consisting of plastic sheeting stapled to wooden stakes.