What’s in the ground:

Even though I said the same thing last year when this happened, I’ll say it again, I can’t believe that it’s April and we’ve hit 90 F. Not only does the ominous effects of climate change loom overhead, but for this month, everything is thrown off. I even heard of strawberry plants flowering somewhere near Fairmount Park. Now, if the weather keeps pace, as it may do since temperatures are supposed to stay in the seventies through next week, we’ll have some extremely early strawberries. But if I know this climate like I think I do, then I think we’re in store for another frost, maybe even a sleet storm. So if your late spring perennials are flowering, make sure to cover them with row cover if temperatures drop again. And if they don’t, don’t go rolling up the row cover that quickly. Put it to good use during those unseasonably hot days to cover your cold weather brassicas. Immature kale and collards really can’t handle this heat. A nice layer of some white Remay row cover will protect the transplants from the sun and keep in the moisture that would other wise evaporate. Also make sure that you’re mulching too to protect the top layer of soil from getting too hot. And keep watching the weather for the highs and lows.

What’s going on in sustainability:

So last week I talked about using egg cartons for seedlings. And as my house finally found a weekend to work on our homestead (we have four new raised beds, an herb garden, a possible cold frame for the fall and ideas to put corn next to our garlic on the side of the house) Rob came home with a few egg cartons to start our seeds, which we ended up using to a to get some eggs a friend hooked us up with. But if you took that advice and have started seeds, the next step should not be directly into the ground. If you planted them now, the summer seeds will probably outgrow the tiny egg shell before they can be planted. But to keep with the recycling idea, and avoid buying bigger plastic pots to transplant the maturing plants before they go into the soil, try using old tin cans like coffee or veggies. You just need to drill holes in the bottom so the water can drain. An old chinese food container also makes a good planter.

This way you can reuse your waste while you wait for the weather to finally settle into summer and you can safely get those tomatoes and peppers in the ground. Here’s looking forward to that.

Until next week, this is the note from the Urban Homestead.