April 8th:  Frost Free date for Cadiz, April 5 – 15 th varies from year to year. Completely safe after the 15th…….Unless God has a surprise for us!

Last Frost Date Map

When to plant out your seedlings in your area is an important bit of information for gardeners. Each year’s weather is different, and a sudden warming in early spring tempts us to plant, a case of spring fever making us forget that cold weather is very likely to reappear. Check out the map below, or click on the link for an interactive map.

Last Frost Map
Check the date of the full moon in the month that has the last date. Often a frost will occur within several days of a full moon.

Microclimates can determine whether your garden is vulnerable to frost damage. Low areas at the bottom of hills commonly get frost before slopes. Protected areas near your house are much less likely to get frost.

Cloudy nights will protect from frost, as the radiant heat from the sun is trapped closer to the earth by cloud cover. Windy nights will also prevent frost from settling. Often winds calm before dawn, however, and the temperature drops 1 or 2 degrees for a brief period. If the night is clear, still and cold, beware, frost may occur.

Water your plants on the day that a frost is expected, to provide additional protection. Although this may seem contradictory, the moisture in the soil will release into the air raising the humidity level and raising the dew point. Plants can withstand lower temperatures without being damaged by frost when the air is humid.

Cover your tender plants with blankets or newspapers, or remay, a polyester fabric available from supply stores. Be sure to anchor the cover.

With these few commonsense guidelines, you can protect your seedlings and potted plants from damage.

March 31st:    We have completed our growing list for 2010 season ;   

  • cabbage, collard greens , onions ,
  • cauliflower, broccoli 
  • ,tomatoes , some heirlooms, peppers, egg plant ,
  •  3 different kinds of summer squash ,purple hull peas , white acre peas ,
  • Swiss chard , spinach , potatoes  ,red and green okra ,
  •  yellow and green string beans,  heirloom pole beans sweet corn  ,
  •  pumpkins (jack-o-lantren & pie),  winter squash, pop corn ,
  • Indian corn , gourds .

March 22nd:     The early spring garden is in the ground, just in time for the first of the spring rains. Onions, cabbage, collard greens, English peas, snow peas and snap peas. Beet greens, Swiss chard and spinach are all coming up.  The seed potatoes are also in the ground and on there way up.   We have added 25 new laying chicks (soon to be hens) to the Hen House  and  4 baby duck for our duck pond.

Keep in touch here for weekly reports.

“If you are going to be a farmer and provide food to the world, do it the right way…the way you wish everyone would do it.” – Brian Wright

 

“Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.” – William Jennings Bryan”