a very very early spring here this year

We are experiencing a very very early spring here this year..we broke record temps with 40 degrees above normal yesterday.

I'm wondering (yeah I guess it is a question)..is it too early for "as early as the soil can be worked" or am I going to be making a big mistake if I start some cold weather crops this early.

the soil is so moist and the sun is so hot..I'm thinking maybe put in things but save back some seed just in case I was jumping the gun? The idea right now is some very hardy things like peas, swiss chard and other hardy brassicas, lettuces of course, etc.

I know in most parts of the country this isn't too early for as early as the soil can be worked, but here in Michigan this is super super super early ..generally we can't plant until April here ..cause the ground is generally solidly frozen and covered with snow until then.

Seeds are cheap, and if you're like me, you have plenty of them. Sow some now, knowing that they may not survive. Experiment. Maybe sow some every week. I'm glad it's nice and cold here still.

I'm in southern Ontario, zone 6b, and this week I started my seeds in the greenhouse. Outside you'd be ok, if you can at least cover your seedlings, or have the ability to bring the potted ones into a garage or shed if there's frost in the forecast.

ok I stuck a few seeds outside: kale, swiss chard, cabbage, podding radish, sugar snap peas, hawthorn, bearberry, paw paw, 2 kinds of mesclun, a few good king henry and garlic chives..may stick a few more out today.

wierd thing is they say that this warm weather may actually continue beyond this week, which is really scarey cause we could end up with fruit tree blooming and losing them all???

this is our 3rd day in the 80's ...40 degrees above normal..busting all kinds of records

We've broke 50 one day this year, all other days have been mid to low 40's, we've had snow three times in march when we normally only get snow once a year. Even with all of that, I've got brassica seeds that have germinated outside, along with clover and alfalfa. I'm still waiting for spring but am not holding my breath. This time last year, I had collards that germinated in january outside and were harvestable, this year, not even my greenhouse is producing growth, although it is keeping some test victim tomato plants alive, my kale and lettuce is producing minimal growth.

all that is growing in the greenhouse right now is lettuce and swiss chard..my own fault for not planting more in there..the tomatoes are dead of course and the spinach isn't in site..so maybe it is dead..or covered with stuff?? it needs cleaning out..might get some volunteer tomatoes in there pretty soon if the weather keeps up.

I also have some lettuce, swiss chard and other greens growing in the garden..

I meant to plant some fall seeds to overwinter to give me an early crop, but didn't get around to doing it..my bad.

my wife cut some kale that was in the garden from last year a few days ago. we had such a mild winter that my amish neighbors never dug up their turnips and still are picking them from the garden. They planted out onion set this week too. I am a bit leary that we could still have several snows in the next month or two. The red maples are buding out this week. I too hope that the fruit trees do not bloom too early.
kent

I still have a bunch of brassicas from last year, but none of them are putting out any useful growth yet, unlike last year.

Spring is on its way here too..... we are in Finland! however we still have lots of snow,lakes are still frozen and we wont be putting anything into the ground untill
end of May and even then thats really early!, its more like early to mid june! but then of course we have an explosion of growth as our days are long....very long and warm.

But I have to say my fingers are itching to get my seeds started.........

Nicola.

trees are leafing out and fruit buds are swelling, and we still have a week of winter left..80's all week. we ccould have blizzards yet for 2 more months.

We've had a very early spring here as well in northern Ohio (zone 5b). I don't have the bravery to plant things in the actual soil yet as I still think there may be a late year frost, but maybe you could start some seedlings indoors. As for the actual soil, I've only begun raking debris out and will start hoeing certain sections. Maybe I'll consider putting garlic bulbs in beds.

well with the 80's and 90's here for 8 or 9 days I did get a lot done outside..even have seeds that I planted coming up (cold weather crops like peas and some brassicas, etc)..they say frost Monday overnight, but we have color on our fruit tree buds although they aren't completely open yet, and it is raining..the grass might need mowing 2 mo early !!

I spent most of the week installing a pump/filter and waterfall course my sister gave me last year when she decided NO MORE POND for her..so the pump/filter is in and running and the watefall course was set up on the island of our pond, surrounded with rocks and yesterday I planted things from my garden around it, mostly flowers so far. I dug up a gold coast juniper, a pink carpet rose, some lambs ears, artemesia, bleeding heart, hosta, moss, sedum, purple coneflower, veronica, vincas, etc..to soften the stones..

the island is around 16 x 16' and I'm hoping to put in a larger tree for shade and a 7' section of telephone pole on cement piers for a bench..also a path from the bridge to the island around the watefall garden and to the other more shallow side of the island..

one project I was NOT looking forward to and had planned on doing in June, now done and over with other than the bench and a few more bushes or trees..walla..great early spring

yesterday I planted carrots, salsify, parsnips, beets, kohlrabi, etc...2nd round of early planting by day 2 of Spring.

Brenda, I was just thinking the same thing about spring planting. Though my schedule is ahead of yours I don't remember it freezing the last two years past the first of March. However our area says that April 30th is the date. I remember a snow storm the second week of May in Lansing, Michigan about 8-10 years ago, so I decided not to get too excited about planting. I put cold weather plants in their beds this weekend. YAY! my first official crop planting. I can't wait to see what comes up.

Wow, our unseasonable warmth is not so dramatic yet, but it is still confusing. I am new to gardening (never been burned by spring frosts before) so it is especially tempting to get started even though everyone says it is too early.

Even bigger temptation:I got a prematurely delivered bare-root cherry tree from a mail order catalog last week. I ordered it and specified ship date but they are in Georgia and sent it when convenient for them/their weather (and when I called to ask how I am supposed to keep it alive AND not leafed out in our warm house for over a month, they said to pot it up like a houseplant and just stick it outside whenever we can). So... a cherry tree taller than me is in the middle of my small kitchen just begging to be... anywhere but there). Looking out at the sunny yard makes it that much harder to wait.

My mom interprets "global warming" to literally mean warmer consistent weather so she is convinced all of our springs will be this way from here on out (no use arguing with her, lol).

The warm weather last week was enough to green up the grass, and get a lot of trees budded up. It's pretty nice for my garden but not so good for the Maple Products Industry. The maple syrup was almost $8.00 more expensive for a gallon this year due to low production from the warmth. Hopefully this means a good growing season here in Maine. I already have some collards and a lot of herbs that survived our mild winter. There are some volunteer bok choi from last year that went to seed and have sprouted under my row covers. Even some of the wild edibles are starting to produce shoots and leaves.
I'm hesitant to start too much but figure I cant go wrong with cold hardy greens and peas, maybe some carrots and a bunch of different herbs. I'm looking forward to planting my asparagus seedlings soon. A lot of them are starting to topple over and new shoots are growing.

I got some warm weather crops (beans, zucchini and cucumbers) in the garden from seed and have some sprouts growing. Just need to keep a watch on you overnight temps cause it his the minus's this week. I had enough time to put up a simple hoop house but just make sure the temp doesn't drop too fast.

well no need to WAIT for the next shoe to fall...this morning it was 15 degrees F...that is 80 degrees lower than this time last week..and of course freezing everything in site.

Not sure how many of the fruit buds will survive this..and it isn't over..they say that the below freezing temps for overnights will be for the next "several" weeks..although daytime highs will be normal or above normal..today highs expected in 30's to 40's..sun is out..

I KNEW this would happen..but it is just a wait and see now to see what survives the freezes and what does not. Thank God our grapes are just beginning to swell..and brambles have no fruit buds yet, just leaves..some open..so we will have some fruit, maybe apples too

The past week here in Maine was wet and cool, compared to the warm weather of a few weeks ago. We had a lot of rain (3-4 inches) fall over the last 3 days. My peas, potatoes, collards, and chives are all up and putting on their first true leaves. then last night it got down to some twenty degrees and froze the top inch of soil.

I planted carrots, onions and parsnips two weeks ago, and although they haven't sprouted yet, I'm wondering what kind of damage has been done. This weather is just crazy. A few weeks ago it was eighty degrees.
Anyone care to comment on the viability of my veggies. The peas are only an inch high and some of the potatoes had a few leaves above ground. My real concern are the carrots and onions.

here we are all this time later and we are still freezing overnight..lost pretty much ALL of our fruit buds to frost as they opened 2 months early this year..even a lot of the flowers were lost to frost..our grapes are still in BUD and haven't begun to vine so I'm feeling confident about them. A lot of my plants that came from mail orders are having a difficult time, and one of my tomatoes in the greenhouse got hit really hard by the frost, it was too close to the glazing.

I can HOPE that maybe a blossom or two might have made it thru, but with 23 to 24 degrees most nights and white grass in the morning and snow day before yesterday, i have very little confidence that that hope will bring forth anything to eat.

my "as soon as the soil can be worked" crops are growing, but very slowly, some may have died..it has been very wet and very cold since those 80's last month.