March 5, 2012

Cherry flowers.

Do the trees know something we don't?  Or are they just rashly blooming by the end of February to die in the next freeze?  Early stone fruit trees (plum and cherry of the genus Prunus) are breaking out into bloom all around our area, as well as the useless Bradford Pear, and peach trees aren't far behind.  Temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70's on the first of March felt wonderful, and the landscape is visibly waking up from dormancy.

Maple flowers.

So what happens if March comes in like a lamb?  Will it go out like a lion?  This folklore saying has its origin in people who (before the Weather Channel) needed foreknowledge of the weather for planting, and who believed everything in nature was created with the principle of balance.  From my observation, this saying is about 50/50 accurate, just like the groundhog who on February 2nd predicted six more weeks of winter.  Oops!  It's going to be a tough call on March with its already rapid changes from balmy to severe weather.

The Almanac doesn't seem to call for any late freezes this Spring - but it's sometimes vague in its forecast and hard to interpret on purpose.  So outdoor planting will go on, with carrots, onions, lettuces, and even some early snow peas by this coming weekend.  Once again we are starting the peas indoors wrapped up in a damp paper towel on top of the refrigerator until they germinate, inoculating them with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, then carefully setting sprouted seeds in prepared soil outside.  We've moved the pea fence to their new growing location, next to the spinach.

Seedlings under grow lights.

We've also started parsley seed indoors on the heating mat and will be planting other herbs soon, along with tomatoes and other warm-weather crops in a couple weeks.