Mini Greenhouses

Our verdant valley is experiencing some rather vacillating weather patterns. The temperature is in flux, the sun is coy, the rain is flirtatious and the hail is, well, the hail is a great exfoliant -- in other words, all is normal and well. Regardless of atmospheric convention, the trouble with an outdoor exfoliant is that young plants and sprouts are too tender to withstand rigorous scouring. A mere 20 minutes after I had planted my little veggie patch, the clouds rolled in and hail began bouncing ‘round the yard. I dashed off to the deck to retrieve my mini greenhouses and nestled them protectively over the little plantlets.

What are mini greenhouses? I’m glad you asked!

I know the weather is fickle and, allowing for Murphy’s Law, I figured that I’d have no sooner planted my garden than we’d have snow. I was close. No snow, yet there was hail that afternoon and frost the next morning. Ahh, Murphy. I both respect and despise you.

I digress.

I had asked my Mom to save her clear plastic water jugs for me. I cut the bottoms off and snugged them around the base of the new plants to create little individual greenhouses. This seems to be working pretty well. It’s both inexpensive and, so far, effective.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

All Hail Spring's First Day!

Sunday, I had one of those moments where circumstance wakes me from my bliss with a solid slap to the face.

Mom was here and we were sitting at the dining room table sipping tea and talking. I heard the comforting sound of rain so I spun around in my chair to watch. What I saw were streaks of white hail. Since I was safely inside (and not riding my bike at 12 miles per hour, thus experiencing a very painful exfoliation process), I sat back enjoying the beauty of the moment. Pretty white hail falling from the sky, bouncing on the deck, the lawn, my little seedlings… MY LITTLE SEEDLINGS! It was there that the Universe made bold to remind me that hail on little baby plants is bad. Very bad. I found myself dashing between the deck and the kitchen floor bringing the poor babies to safety. I did this just in time, for next it began to sleet.

My poor seedlings aren’t looking so well, now. I may decide to start anew with fresh seeds, just in case these babies don’t make it.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

Gardening: Hardening my sprouts

I bought the last two bricks needed to build my raised veggie bed last night. Now, I merely need the soil. Meanwhile, the days have warmed enough for me to begin hardening my little veggie sprouts on the deck. While they were prolific when I first planted the seeds, they have been flagging, of late. I feel they really want to be out in the yard. The nights, though, are unpredictable, so I’ll just keep taking them in and out.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!