When the calendar says April but the weather says February, organic gardeners must cope with Mother Nature’s capricious ways.
Three weeks ago, with a song in my heart, I rushed to the nursery to purchase pansies and seed starting supplies. This weekend, Mother Nature showed us she is as mercurial as a teenager is when she blasted our region with frigid winds and a spitting snowstorm. I accompanied my family to the hardware store to spend a gift certificate we received at Christmastime, and I was prepared to spend my share on something for the garden. However, the swirling snowflakes dampened my garden spirit. I know that the chance of frost isn’t behind us here until the first of May, but how did we go from flip-flops to snow boots in the span of a week?
I should stop my whining. Our gardening friends in the upper Midwest and alpine regions have several weeks of touch-and-go weather to contend with before they can plant the first tomato. If your mind is in zone 8, but your garden is in zone 3, try these tips to deal with winter’s final grip:
- Call your utility company and see if they deliver free mulch from tree trimming to customers.
- Buy a fragrant houseplant from your local nursery, and treat yourself to some aromatherapy.
- Sharpen and clean all of your pruning implements.
- Try a new vegetable soup recipe with the produce you preserved from last season.
- Read over your garden journals from past years, and decide what you’ll do differently this year to make your garden the best it can be.
