Thursday, May 5, 2011

It Was Hubris, All Right

hu·bris/ˈ(h)yo͞obris/Noun

1. Excessive pride or self-confidence.
2. (in Greek tragedy) Excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.
Too much self confidence led me to set out the maters  on Tuesday -- before the 'safe ' date of May 15.  Then frost  and perhaps freezing temperatures were predicted for Wednesday night so John and I covered the plants with hay. Will they survive?

This sudden dip in temperatures is called Blackberry Winter -- a cold snap that happens when the blackberries are in bloom. It's obviously common enough to have a name . . . what was I thinking -- defying the gods that way?
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21 comments:

Desiree said...

I'd say you were being optimistic and hopeful :) Nothing wrong with either and now you've taken the appropriate precautionary measures and can only trust that they will work to preserve your baby tomato seedlings.

Stella Jones said...

Yes, but we all do it sometimes. I planted out my geraniums before the safe date of late May too and we had a frost warning on Tuesday night! It got down to 1 deg. C which is just above the danger level. They survived this time!!
Good luck with your tomatoes.

Alan Burnett said...

Just sacrifice a couple of chickens and everything will be OK

Pat in east TN said...

It's 6 a.m. here and 34 degrees ... all of my berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) have been coming along nicely and it looks like a bumper year ... only time will tell. When we saw the forecast we held off on planting anything ... fingers are crossed that your hay covered tomatoes do ok.

Friko said...

And there's me, dragging pots in and out of the conservatory at the least little sign of frost forecast.

So how are they, the little ones?

Jean Baardsen said...

I just hate it when Hubris hangs around - he is such a jerk!

KarenB said...

Yeah, fate does come and bite you in the butt sometimes, just to keep you humble. Good luck with the hay - we had some hits and misses with that technique. But you can always go get a few extra mater babies to fill in the gaps.

And one more time - I love love love seeing your pictures every, or almost every, day.

Kathryn Magendie said...

Yup, 33 in our cove here in Maggie Valley - brrr! but, the sun is out and it'll warm things and I bet your maters will be fine!

Brian Miller said...

ha. yeah got a house full of plants this morning...ones we could bring in...go figure...cant short cut nature...

Kath said...

i don't want to see the results of last night's cold-36 when I got up this morning.
I'm hoping the morning fog meant that something was keeping the new veggie plants warm enough.

NCmountainwoman said...

You are not alone. The warm days just turned on the planting itch even for people who knew better. I drove around the community last evening. Lots of yards had sheets and towels covering those precious plants. I hope your tomatoes make it.

BB said...

It's pretty chilly here this morning in Little River. Everything is changing in the climate world so I think dates might get changed as well in the near future.

Merisi said...

Blackberry Winter is such a poetic name! That period is called the Ice Saints or Ice Men days here:
Mamertus – 11th of May
Pankratius – 12th,
Servatius – 13th,
Bonifatius – 14th,
followed by "Cold Sophie" on May 15th.

In Germany, an even later cold spell, around the 11th of June, is called "Sheep's Cold" - the sheep are not shorn before that date, lest they may suffer without their warm coat.

May your sheep safely graze, er, your potatoes stay warm under the hay!

Love Alan Burnett's comment! :-)

Vicki Lane said...

Yay! Everything came through just fine. One basil plant's covering was evidently knocked off and it was a tad bronzed but otherwise still a going concern. Even without sacrificing any chickens, Alan! I think that our low was about 36 F. And we had fog this morning which can be protective, Plus we get the early sun, once the fog lifts. And the forecast is for warming.

Now to go drag my porch plants out of the greenhouse...

Merisi -- Cold Sophie would be such a good title for a book.

Hoping all of you worrying about your tender plants had good luck!

jennyfreckles said...

I'm always amazed how many of those old sayings and 'old wives' tales' have root in fact and reality. Hope the hay kept them nicely warm.

Tess Kincaid said...

I've been itching to drag all the plants outside to the patio, but with all the torrents of rain we've had lately, it's been nearly impossible.

Tess Kincaid said...

Hee...I like Alan's comment.

phyllis w. said...

Big frost here, and I just got home to survey the damage. New growth on some trees and shrubs got nipped - crepe myrtles look pretty bad. Perennials and early veggies look okay - haven't planted the tender stuff yet. Glad your maters survived. My mom is still carrying hers to the basement at night, and back out into the sun for the day.

Folkways Note Book said...

I was waiting for someone at a doctor's office today and overheard two older ladies talking about blackberry winter -- asking if their blackberries survived the snap last night. Didn't hear the answer. Cold again tonight in KY. Hope your tomatoes made it! -- barbara

Unknown said...

Ugh, sorry for the dip in temps! Wasn't familiar with the term "blueberry winter"...but what do I know, I'm a city kid;)

Tipper said...

I hope yours made it through the frost. My husband would say your being as anxious as Granny : ) We all have to work hard to keep her from setting it all out when the first warm week of early spring comes around : )