Post March 26 Frost: Day 1

It is perfectly normal early spring weather - 29 degrees, a little frost on the ground, sun coming up. 

BUT, we've just "enjoyed" those ten days of early warm weather - so warm that everything has bloomed, is in bloom, or is certainly in bud.  You name it:  apricots first, then peaches, cherries, even apples and blueberries.  And yes, the grapes are budding, with some varieties, like the Ives, even showing green and secondary buds.  Even the old timers have never seen anything as bad as this will likely be.

The news is bad.  As low as 24-26 degrees last night.  The cup of water on the bench in the garden had a solid one inch layer of ice this morning.  Fred's sample test of apple buds - crunchy.  Not good.

It is too early to tell how bad and (luckily) each of our grape varieties is at a different stage of development, so perhaps a few have weathered the freeze.

Mother Nature Threatens, March 26, 2012

You know those lovely spring days we've been enjoying.  They are a double-edged sword for farmers and winery owners - for that warm spell was long enough to make everything bloom and bud out - apricots, peaches, cherries, and yes, our grapes. 

If that frost that is now forecasted for Monday arrives and stays as long as we think it will, it will mean devastation for all of these fruit crops for this year...

More soon as we follow the weather reports!