Greetings, Glad you're having great weather vgkg, but it's awful up north. We had a beautiful April and everything got into the cold frame on time, but then the chilly rains came and they won't be done until Sunday or Monday. My tomatoes got so big that I put them in last Tuesday in drizzle, but some have tilted over, a couple have just withered and I'm holding my breath on the rest. The soil is mud. Basil is hanging on. But I quit after that. The peppers, cukes and melons as well as a few smaller toms are as happy as can be in the cold frame and there they shall stay until early next week. May has always been a difficult month, can be rainy, chilly or even hot. I saw snow here about 4 years ago and caught a beauty of a cold checking the cold frame which saved everything. Lettuce, broccoli and onions are healthy, but small. Sure hope it warms up and dries out soon.
Ellen

Hi Ellen! Hope that warmer & dryer conditions return to your area soon.
Yesterday I couldn't wait any longer and planted my "late" crop of watermelons and cantloupes, these will be 7 weeks behind the first planting so will hopefully give us some later then normal harvests into Sept. Everything else seems to be on track, need to start tying up my tomato plants this week and plant corn crop #3 this weekend. I've got 2-3 pea size tomatoes forming now. Everything is in ground now except for the winter squash which will also be planted soon.

Looks like the 80s will finally get here by tomorrow, Spring was nice whist it lasted this year. Just wondering now about the hurricane season right around the corner, rumors of another Hazel (1954) loom about since this spring weather closely resembles that spring (dry and cool in the east whist flooding in the NE). We'll see....
Wayne, how's them melons coming along out there in ID?

Hazel's path of destruction.....
{{gwi:4126}}

Wow, that's a blast from the past Vgkg! I was a barely a toddler living 30 miles north of Wilmington, NC when Hazel struck. It's one of my earliest memories. As the storm moved closer my dad packed me under one arm and my infant brother under the other and put us the car. My mom scooped up the dog and we all took refuge in an old brick warehouse where my dad's business was. The storm did significant damage to our house but I don't remember much about that. Just that our chimney and part of the roof was blown away. The "older folk" talked about that storm for years to come. I've never before seen the path the storm took.

It finally looks as if there are warm days in the forecast. It's been so chilly here my peppers and melons are pouting. April was warmer than May. I waited until last weekend to plant out most of my warm season veggies and I've already had to cover them 2x's. Some of them were getting too big and starting to yellow up a bit.

Earliglow strawberries have been plentiful over the last week. My small bed of lettuce/greens has produced more than we can eat this year. Other years I've had it bolt by now.

Ellen, I woke up this morning with a beauty of a head cold. Yuck! March & April were the driest on record but we did get a good soaking rain 2 weeks ago. Then just drizzle. Still, not enough rain.

My extra early watermelons are behind schedule as they were somewhat unhealthy when set out. They have improved but are slow. I did hand pollinate two blooms today.

Second early melons mostly suscumbed to severe cold and wet weather. Third setting looks good.

Strawberries are extra good this year. Onions, peas, broccoli, and all fruits are growing fabulously.

Corn and beans have been in slow motion in May until this past week...got to 90° today.