What I've Learned So Far

We have been here in Leland NC just a little over a year and here is what I have learned so far,

* My new growing zone is 8a
* Last frost date is March 17th
* It rains a lot in the summer
* Spring onions grow randomly in your yard
* Little black ants bite
* Tomatoes don't grow very well here
* Lots of frogs
* Lightning bugs
* Lots of fence lizards (they are so cute!)
* Copperhead snakes (have not seen one, yet.)
* Yard is slow to drain in some areas
* Soil is sand over top of clay
* Hot
* Humid
* You need a screened in porch or patio

I played around with some ideas on a garden planner. I was able to use photos I took of my backyard. It's a start.

Love Apple

Our cold temperatures continue...

Because of the cold weather I have not put up my greenhouse yet. By now I would have already started my spring and summer seeds. I'll give it another week and see how things go. 

This year I will not be starting my own tomato seeds. I am lucky enough to live with in diving distance to Love Apple Farm and will be trying some new varieties that are known to grow well in my area. Owner Cynthia Sandberg is known in these parts as the "Tomato Lady". She grows over 100 heirloom tomato varieties each year and sells them March through June. I had the opportunity to hear Cynthia speak at a gardening bootcamp last year and she brought tomato seedling for all of us to take home. I picked the Anna Russian and it was just wonderful. You can read Cynthia's story here Cynthia Sandberg. She is truly inspiring.

When will you be starting your seeds?

What's Next?

Yesterday March 18th around 11:00am the San Mateo County coastline was on a tornado watch. Really? On the California Coast?
This morning around 2:30am thunder woke me up.
3:00am the sound of rain turned into the sound of someone dropping BB's on the roof. I get up to go see what's going on and this is what I found when I opened the front door.....

Click on photo for a larger view

That's right hail. Not just a little hail but a lot of hail. I can honestly say in the almost 50 years that I have lived in the Bay Area I have never seen this much hail come down and stick.

The four photos below were all taken between 3:15 and 3:30am. Click on the photos for a larger view.

Bed 2

Beds 3 and 4

At first light I went out to see how the garden looked not thinking we would still have hail on the ground but we did. These next few photos were taken just after 7:00am

View from the roof

The only real damage that I found was my banana tree has been shredded.

Banana tree

 So what's next? The weather prediction for the rest of the weekend. Afternoon thunder showers which is very rare for us in this area. Late tonight rain with a high wind watch through tomorrow afternoon. Winter is just not going to let go.

Weather

We are still on track to get a little snow in our area. Not sure that we will see snow in the garden but there is a good chance we will get some in our local foothills.

Tonight	Tomorrow	Tomorrow Night
Rain	Rain	Rain / Snow Showers
41°	50°	32°
Low	High	Low
Chance of Rain: 70%	Chance of Rain: 70%	Chance of Precip: 50%
Wind: WSW at 7 mph	Wind: WNW at 10 mph	Wind: NW at 8 mph

In any case I'm not taking any chances. I have brought the seedlings into the house as well as the banana and the avocado.