h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

beans in, potatoes in, tulips up, leaves on the trees . . .



and it's snowing.

It's snowing a lot:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Edmonton+wakes+spring+blizzard/2984672/story.html


I don't think I'll plant my onions today.

Crivvens, ~anhaga~. Have you told the weather gods that it's May?

French beans are sprouting, the peas will need a repot soon, the peppers have started and the salad leaves are coming on treat.

The plum tree is full of blossom as is the pear and the strawberries are starting to flower. I even have rhubarb (although not where I planted it )

rhubarb! I forgot to mention that my rhubarb is up (under the snow) as is my sorrel.

Here's what I see outside.


patio at the front: http://public.fotki.com/anhaga/snow-again/snow-again/p1020088.html

garden and general chaos at the back: http://public.fotki.com/anhaga/snow-again/snow-again/p1020085.html

both taken about a half hour ago.


snow still falling.

Magwitch sounds like your stuff is doing great. My stuff is doing okay, except my chilli peppers have still not germinated indoors after a couple of weeks I really should have started them earlier, but if they do germinate I hope they catch up.

**

anhaga thanks for posting those pics..it all looks rather beautiful at your house..sort of Dr. Zchivago although yes, inconvenient for getting the onions in, .. and to think we Brits moaned about a couple of weeks of the white stuff in January. We've had a northerly wind here for a few days, which felt a bit wintry I marvel at how plants in your area cope with such swings in temperature, are they specially bred for it? And what about the natural flora?

In your first link, I had to laugh when I read,

'...Edmonton police spokeswoman Lisa Sobchyshyn said there were only six property damage collisions and two injury collisions between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. this morning...'

I mean *only*....talk about true grit Canadian spirit..and we're talking May

Blimey anhaga! But it does look pretty! I'd be very interested to see photos of your vegetable garden once it starts being productive. Do you get really long, hot days once the season is underway?

'Do you get really long, hot days once the season is underway?'

mid 30s Celsius and 18 or so hours of daylight.


Did I mention that it went up to the high 20s a couple of weeks ago?



It's not unusual to have a snow like this in May. It's actually pretty good for the plants because it usually melts the next day and everything gets a real good soaking. As for being bred for it and the native flora, Effers:

the native flora take it all in stride, of course, since it's what they're adapted for.

a great many of the plants we put in the garden (and that farmers put in their fields) are indeed selectively bred for the climate. But I do very well with a certain Italian pole bean and with roma tomatoes and a number of types of hot pepper and I don't think any of them have been bred for the climate.

I think I might have a picture around here somewhere of everything green last summer. I'll have a look around.

Here's a picture of my street last August: http://public.fotki.com/anhaga/snow-again/snow-again/p1180014.html

and, I found a short video of some of the back garden area from about the same time. It shows some of the container plants (peppers, tomatoes, squash, strawberries) and the bottom of the Italian beans (they grew to be about thirty feet tall) and the (very young) apple tree. Not visible are the potatoes, black currants, raspberries, rhubarb, nor most of the herbs, which are usually in pots at the front of the house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttB46aBgy3U

'In your first link, I had to laugh when I read,

'...Edmonton police spokeswoman Lisa Sobchyshyn said there were only six property damage collisions and two injury collisions between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. this morning...'

I mean *only*....talk about true grit Canadian spirit'






I just found out, Effers, that things got a little uglier at 8:40:

'A man and his two grade-school daughters died in a crash between a Via Rail passenger train and a truck at a level crossing in Edmonton on Tuesday morning.

The crash occurred at around 8:40 a.m. MT north of the intersection of Winterburn Road and 111th Avenue in a west Edmonton industrial park.'

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/05/04/edmonton-crash-train-multiple-fatalities.html#ixzz0n0Xl9tgS

I used to go to Lanzarote every Christmas with my family when the children were younger Costa Teguise, loved it. Didn't like Porto del Carmen, we thus never stayed there

On a lighter note, I read of an American guy who wanted to get rid of the bugs and weeds in his back yard. He also got rid of the garage and half his house. From his hospital bed later he said "I didn't realise there was gasoline in the stuff I was using, till the fumes reached my pipe". Tragic, but so funny.

A few years ago the people a few gardens along, did, what I called at the time, 'exploded' their garden. I was in my garden..and suddenly boooooooom. It was quite amazing..not exactly a mushroom cloud rising up, but not far short. But they must have planned it better than the American guy, because I don't think there were any casualties, and the whole thing was parched to a cinder. They then concreted it all over, with not a plant in sight.

Oh the different ways to have a garden.

Why have a garden? What's the point?

Gardens should be green and lush*. Not frelling concrete!.

They should not have as many weeds as mine though

"Take me down to where the good stuff grows, tickle your nose, wriggle your toes.." With credit to the B52's

I just stepped outside for a moment.




Light snow falling.

This reminds me - my cousin was born in a blizzard on May 17th, in the mid 50's in Staffordshire, England. The snow was so thick the ambulance couldn't get up the hill to take my aunt to hospital.

let's hope yours melts soon anhaga

an update from the winter wonderland:


apple tree blooming, hops climbing high, everything green and temperatures approaching 30 Celsius.

Things change very rapidly here.

Yep, not quite so extreme here, but we just had about 10 days of cold northerly winds and even approaching frosts at night..suddenly much warmer since the weekend..we're due mid twenties by the end of the week. My stunning hawthorn is in full bloom..god i love it so much. It's so incredibly sensuous, bowed down with thick blossom..and the strange musty smell. And it's always so special because it really lasts such a short time.

Planted out corgettes plants just now..along with plenty of anti snail and slug stuff..the new ultra safe/organic stuff..but if it doesn't work it's back to the full monty stuff

*musky*

I knew you meant that effers! Is it 'cast a clout' weather then? Now the may is out?