Don't forget it's still spring

We've had a beautiful, early spring in Kentucky where the temperature has soared into the 70s and the sunshine has lured me repeatedly to the garden. But as I watered the tomatoes, peppers and parsley that I've been nurturing inside under a grow light and in the window, I wasn't tempted to put them into the garden. Outside, the broccoli and cauliflower are quite happy, along with the greens and peas, but the danger of a freeze hasn't yet passed us.

We were reminded of that this week when the weather forecasters warned us to cover tender plants that a freeze could harm. Jim and I went out in the dark to cover the strawberries, which already have little, green berries on a few of them. The next morning, the ground glistened with frost. The sheet we used seemed to do the job although a few of the strawberry leaves need to regain full health. The shallots that came up next to them (I must not have dug them all last year!) didn't mind the cold.

In the meantime, I made use of our former greenhouse by turning it into a pea trellis. The babies at its base give me hope that we'll have bowls full of sweet peas in June, or maybe even in May.

I keep reminding myself that this is Kentucky and the weather can be quite fickle. The tomatoes might like some days outside in the sun, but that doesn't mean it's time to put them in the ground. So for now, I'll weed the flower gardens, which have begun to bloom with delicate Columbines, fragrant Lillies of the Valley and frilly Irises. Enjoy this spring.