Here in Georgia, it can be pretty warm this time of year. But I never know exactly when to plant my garden- since I'm originally from Indiana, I'm still unsure of the frost dates and seasonal changes here sometimes. So, about two weeks ago, when it hit the 80's for the first time in the end of March, I decided to go for it.
I figured, "why not?". I mean, the temps could easily dip back down again, but if they do, it won't be for too long. I can manage it, right? Besides, the forecast shows 80's and sunny for the next week! So, I went to the store and grabbed some plants. Sometimes, I start mine from seed, which I did end up doing a few rows of, however, because of my pregnancy and the lack of energy and patience I currently have (If you know, you know), I decided that this year, the pre-grown plants were the best route to go.
So, I loaded the girls up, and went to my local Home Depot. I went there because, through the health program at my husband's work, I earn free gift cards to use, and I can redeem them only at specific stores. It's 325 points per $25 gift card, which is honestly amazing. Especially since I can redeem up to 6,000 points per year, all for eating healthy, getting my checkups and such, getting enough sleep, etc. So, I got an entire trunk full of plants- Tomatoes, Peppers, green beans, marigolds, watermelon, eggplant, oregano, cilantro, parsley, lavender, daffodils, cucumbers, purple phlox, and a few other small perennial flowers, and took at least half an hour to check out with having to download 8 gift cards. You have to order them through the app, wait for the email to come in, click the link on the email, copy and paste the security code, scan the gift card and type in the pin code. It's a ridiculously long process. By the time I got done I had 8 or 10 people in line behind me, and they had to open another register for the crowd. Oh, and did I mention it was the girls' naptime too?
So, I got the plants home, it was an absolutely gorgeous day in the 70's, so I started planting my garden. My sweet husband had tilled it up for me a few days before, and it was ready to go. It took me two days, but we got it all planted. It was a great family time, my toddler helped me, my baby sat outside on a blanket nearby, and we enjoyed the gorgeous weather and warm sunshine. Then my husband, Zach, comes home, and in pride I show him my garden. He looks at me so confused, which in turn concerned me. "It looks nice babe... but, why did you plant it now? You'll have to cover it all week from the cold." He said.
Cold?! COLD?! What cold!? I looked on my weather app that literally three days ago forecasted 80's and sunny for this week, and it had changed, so drastically. A high of upper 50's, and a low of 30's, for almost a solid week. Sigh.
Unfortunately, my day was slammed, and I didn't have time to go to the store to get plastic to wrap up my garden from the cold. So, in my usual redneck fashion, I improvised. I used all the throw blankets from our living room to cover the plants each night and removed them late morning. Oh, and did I mention that I placed my garden right smack in the middle of the front yard, in my subdivision, like the hippie that my husband claims I am? So, every night my front lawn is spotted in multicolored, different patterned throw blankets, as if that's normal. I'm sure my neighbors love me by now. They all have perfectly manicured lawns, rounded bushes, not a dandelion in sight- and here I am with a pile of leaves in my driveway for a week straight, I welcome dandelions, and have half rotten fruit and vegetables composting all across my yard. Plus, the world's largest and most annoying dog too. Yeah, my neighbors love me.
(Me and my giant dog, for reference)
But last night was I think the last night of the cold weather. And so far, so good! I am expecting all the plants to make it. And since then, I've added a few more, despite the cold. I also planted a whole row of seeds, of each: Sunflowers, onions, and carrots. And, speaking of carrots, I did finally harvest most of my carrots from the back yard- I have carrots and potatoes growing in my raised garden bed I made from a 600-gallon stock tank, I bought from the recycling center for five freaking dollars. I filled that stock tank with free dirt I got from my neighbor's yard when they had it graded. If you follow my Instagram account, you remember how excited I was to have like 5 loads of dirt given to me for free and delivered into my yard that day. But I tried to grow carrots for the first time, from seed I started last fall, in that tank. And I think they turned out well if I do say so myself. They aren't full size carrots, but mini tender sweet ones, and I am super happy with them! My first carrot harvest:
I have more growing that were too small to harvest, and I plan on planting more back there soon. They seemed to like that spot, and my dog doesn't mess with them there. Super excited! Learning new skills is so much fun to me! Plus, fun fact, did you know that you can eat the carrot tops, and that they're super high in vitamin C and great for your immune system!? You learn something new, everyday! That's all for now- Until next time!
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