hairmetal4ever, I posted this on another post but I'll put it here too. Yesterday my 21-year-old son said, "This is the most bi-polar weather I have seen in my life." and I told him it's the most bi-polar weather I've seen in my life too. (I'm half a century now). I didn't actually measure but it looked like 6" on my car yesterday. A few years ago we did get snow on May 1st, but never got this cold. We broke a lot of records for cold this year. So on the bright side it's a good indication of what trees are bud hardy. Keepers: Pipestone plum, Saturn, NJ 252, and O'Henry peach (all of them still have some good buds or are blooming now). Hoyt Montrose apricot also made it through last night which went down to 22F officially. Then there's this volunteer peach that looks as if it was not affected at all; it's loaded with blooms. I will see if they are worth eating this summer. I'm rethinking my zone denial issues but also trying to come up with a good solution so next spring I don't face this problem.

If the seed has sprouted, get some 2 liter bottles and cut the bottoms off. You can cover your seedlings at night and remove the cover in the morning. I'll usually put a short stake in the ground and slip the bottletop over the seedling, and use popsicle sticks in 3's to create stability. I can post a picture if need be. I'm a winter sower, and my tomatoes have been in containers, outdoors, for about a month now. If you've never heard of winter sowing, check out that forum here on GW. The containers I referred to are mini-greenhouses. They're just sprouting, and they'll stay protected in a container, at least at night, until mid May. During the day I keep the covers off, so they don't fry.

Pulled down more mulch around baby shrubs (toddlers, now???) and roses. Potted up begonia tubers and started 6week seeds. Planted second round of spinach and lettuce in containers and first round in ground. Helped dig side trenches to form the main 37' long walkway from parking area to patio and had first pallet of bluestone for walks in the gardens delivered. Main walkway stone should be delivered later this week. Amended 8" base of 2" rock put in last year and allowed to settle over the winter with rock "dust". Demulched garden paths. Started "new" compost bin and stirred up the mature stuff. Found out where the critters hid the Iris reticulata bulbs and now have a little stand of them in just the perfect place. Critters are smarter than me, sometimes. Switched tall Sedum and short Heuchera to take better advantage of light. Dug out last of annual grasses from last year. Composted new around-the-mailbox bed and dug it in. Painted out shape for new nursery bed/cutting garden. Cleaned up bird baths and della robia containers. Chopped down beyond redemption Rose of Sharon after 1.5 seasons of trying to bring it back. Became ever more grateful to have gardens again. Martie

I don't post very often, so cannot find a post right now to see "my page" to see what my official anniversary is. My profile page does not say, but the zip code showing corroborates my memory that I could have been registered since about 1991 or so. I, too remember Spike and the teacups. Those posts that earned a trip for someone to the teacups were often very fun! I remember several members that I miss off and on, but I like the "newbies" here, too. I come to read almost daily as I have since I found the cooking forum so may years ago. As with any family there is some tension sometimes and I even recall a period of time where there was so much trouble here I almost wrote this forum off, but thank goodness we all get over things and try again. Great recipes, great information, great people, great fun!