Tuesday's Frost Fears

After so much work this weekend and last, planting veggies and flowers, I was horrified this morning when they announced a Severe Weather Alert for frost tonight! I got caught several times out on Palms Road with a frost-kill, and most recently in St. Clair, when, by planting early, I ended up having to replace like $200.00 of veggies and flowers.

Now, I can move all the container gardens into the garage, but the wind is so strong, I don't think I can successfully cover the raised bed garden with say, a drop cloth. I vaguely remember something about watering so I check it out on the net. Supposedly, watering raises the temperature 1-2 degrees F. and can prevent damage from a light frost.

However, around 3:00 PM, I noticed the National Weather Service had dropped the Frost advisory for Wayne County (where I live), so maybe all this worrying is for nothing.

When I got home, I watered all the containers with a water/fertilizer mix. I went in the back to inspect the vegetable garden and was pleasantly surprised to see the leaf lettuce is up. I thinned both the lettuce and the radishes.

Just in case we do get a light frost, I put the square sprinkler in the middle of the raised bed, so I can turn it on from up at the house. I keep hoping my brother Carl is still constructing his English Cottage Garden and hasn't planted it yet!

I had a head of cauliflower I needed to use, so I cored it and cooked the flowerets. That became the side dish for two of the grilled hot dogs on buns. Yes, I still have that big hunk of delicious smoked pork shoulder, but I have other plans for that! (oh, yes... I have plans...)

I watched some taped shows (trying to reduce their number). Man, the pressure! Owning a DVD-R can drive you nuts!

I went to bed at 10:00 PM, but slept lousy. Every time I would wake up, I'd run out and check the thermometer outside the kitchen window. Lowest it got (until I woke up with the alarm) was 41 degrees F.