Friday 4 May 2012

Here Comes A Frost


Friday 4th May 2012
The weather forecast today warned of two nights of unusually extensive frost. I guess I got spoiled living in London where the urban air protected the garden from this menace. But here in rural Lincolnshire, Jack Frost strikes more frequently and more deeply, and he can quite easily still come in May. For this reason, patience is most definitely a virtue when it comes to more delicate subjects such as beans. In fact, even in the greenhouse my first sowing of Borlotti beans was decidedly bitten, along with a few nasturtium seedlings. I thought some had been tough enough to survive, but over a week or so they all succumbed, stems slowly collapsing and leaves wilting brown.
Seedlings and staging come back inside.
Bearing this in mind, the bottleneck of seedlings all took a step back today. From outside into coldframe, coldframe to greenhouse, greenhouse to inside. And improvised night blankets for the spuds too. I began earthing up, but this was not so easy as the textbooks make out. For starters, the marigolds, nasturtiums and California poppies just emerging in amongst the trenches would not appreciate the upheaval. And secondly, the soil is more water than soil, virtually immovable with a rake or hoe.

Improvised frost blankets for the spuds


A protective film of bubble wrap in the greenhouse.
Fingers crossed, my evasive measures will work. If not, I will learn more valuable lessons for next year. 

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