Last frost dates are not the same
16.1 years ago last frost date
It came to my attention it seemed every time I see my average last frost date it comes up as a different date.
| Average Frost Date (Seattle, WA) | Location |
| 3/10 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac |
| 4/20 | Victory Seed Company |
| 3/22 | Ed Hume’s Seeds |
| 4/15 | USDA Zones |
| 5/14 | USA Gardener |
| 3/25 | Clyde’s Garden Planner |
| 3/24 | Garden Web |
Now the humorous part of this is I didn’t go out trying to find as many non-matching dates as I could, these came in order from my Google query for “last frost dates”.
Under conventional wisdom, this number should be simply an average of the last frost dates for the past 30-40 years to give you about a 50% chance of avoiding frost given past history. So it seems really strange why these numbers vary so much.
Then I came across U.S. Climate Normals this site includes no only the dates but the probability of them being true. So if you are a betting man/woman (or just impatient) you can press your luck and plant with variable odds.
For my area (Seattle, WA) I have the following options:
| Probability Level | |||
| Threshold (°F) | 90% | 50% | 10% |
| 36 °F | Mar 27 | Apr 11 | May 18 |
| 32 °F | Feb 13 | Mar 10 | Apr 22 |
| 28 °F | Jan 01 | Feb 25 | Mar 20 |
From the information above, only The Farmer’s Almanac had the number I was really expecting. But given the information above and how late frosts have “bitten” me in the past I think I will give myself a couple extra weeks and plan on my last frost being Mar 24th to hopefully avoid and hard frosts for tender seedlings.
Tags: garden seeds, outdoor plants
Water your plants with authority
This is only a concept, but I am surprised SuperSoaker has not already released something similar. Now a gun shaped water nozzle is definitely not necessary or possibly even safe in some neighborhoods but sure to make you more manly while watering your pansies.
Tags: outdoor plants
Protecting your seedlings when your weather does not cooperate
16.1 years ago cold season crops, outdoor seed starting, sieve
I like to push the envelope my luck when I decide to start seeds outdoors and this year is not an exception. Just yesterday I posted about planting the rest of my outdoor seeds where karma responded with a freak snow storm and freezing temperatures.
I am not too worried about about the new seeds I planted since many have been sitting dormant in the refrigerator for almost 12 months so few more days in about the same temperature shouldn’t be too traumatic for the lettuce, carrots, and cilantro.
The plants I have concerns with are the spinach seedlings which have just started to break through the soil. Fortunately spinach are pretty cold tolerant but weight of the snow on top of them is not a great way for them to start their time in the world.
After a quick search through the garage I found a great solution, a plastic storage tub, which fit perfectly over the irregular rectangular space I planted them.
Tada. If I wanted to get all fancy, I would add some holes for venting/etc but I chose to set a small cinder block on top and call it good. After a couple days, I should be able to remove it until the next freak storms comes our way.
Stupid groundhog…
Update: This is what the tub looked like after a few minutes in the sun (instant humidome)
Tags: cilantro, garden seeds, outdoor plants
Finish outdoor seed planting with coffee grounds
16.1 years ago garlic bulbs, onions, outdoor seed starting
It has been a blessing that the competition for free coffee grounds at the Starbucks at my work has increased now the weather warmed up and I have freed from the temptation to grab yet another free shiny silver bag of grounds. The reason is, I have put four bags in my compost, worked generous amounts into my vegetable garden and I still have six bags left. Now I am looking at inventive ways to use the rest up. I tried mixing with perlite to make a cheap potting soil (failed still no room for roots) but I believe I have come across one success I thought I would share.
When you are finished planting seeds outdoors apply a thin layer of coffee grounds. This will deter slugs from going after your new seedlings and keep cats from mistaking your nicely loosened and raked soil for their kitty litter.
I have done this for my larger seed plants (peas, garlic, onions, cilantro) but for the small seed plants (carrots, lettuce, spinach) I used the coffee grounds as a seed covering.
So far the results are great. All of my peas/garlic/onions/spinach have sprouted with no signs of pests (four-legged nor zero-legged).
Tags: cheap, cilantro, coffee grounds, compost, garden seeds, garlic bulbs, led, outdoor plants, vegetables
Growing in dirt outside
16.2 years ago cilantro, cucumbers, garlic bulbs, indoor growbox, onions, outdoor seed starting, peas, tomato
I haven’t done many posts in a while about regular old gardening in actual dirt so figured a good time to do an update. Though I enjoy indoor seed starting in my LED grow box and computerized grow box, some plants need to be started outdoors. Today my daughters and I planted the last these plants for fall outdoor planting.
A few weeks ago, we planted garlic, onions, spinach, and peas which are doing well. I love growing these plants no matter how late your spring comes these plants are hardy they are pretty hard to kill off.
Today we planted carrots, lettuce, and cilantro leaving a little space left to do some successive cilantro planting in a couple weeks to ensure I have enough for salsa by the time the tomatoes are ready this summer.
Speaking of tomatoes, they along with jalapeño peppers, and cucumbers (actually flowering) are doing great in the computerized grow box. In the LED grow box I have pumpkin, Black Eyed Susan, small sunflowers, and Purple Coneflowers using Grodan Gro-Blocks.
Nice to finally see some stuff in the ground though still hoping the weather gets better before my cucumbers try to escape the grow box.
Tags: cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, garlic bulbs, growbox, led, outdoor plants, pepper plants, salsa garden, tomato plants, vegetables
Growing seedlings with compostable coffee cups
16.2 years ago cheap, compost, indoor seed starting, tomato
Occasionally at work I get a craving for some hot chocolate. When I do, I reach for a company provided compostable coffee cup (I know I should bring in my own cup, but I did say “occasionally”). When I am done with my delicious beverage, I simply dispose of them in the proper “compostable” reciprocal. Last week was different, with my recent frustration with the durability of some of my newspaper pots, I got the idea to extend the life of these cups a little longer and grow some seedlings in them.
This particular type of cup breaks down in 47 days, unless you happen to leave one half filled with liquid overnight on your desk, in that case they magically breaks down a few minutes after you walk out the door. I am planning on growing my tomatoes and peppers in these cups and plant them directly into the soil. To help with more freedom in root growth I will cut out the bottom of the cup. I will let you know how it works.
Now if your work does not use these cups, never fear many coffee shops are featuring these same type of cups with the purchase of an overpriced hot beverage.
Tags: cheap, coffee grounds, compost, garden seeds, led, outdoor plants, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables
