Sunday, April 17, 2011

Two Tramps in Mud Time

In visiting with friends and family the past few weeks, the capricious north country early spring weather this year (EVERY year) put me in mind of the following verse from,"Two Tramps in Mud Time" by Robert Frost.

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March."

Exactly.

And as Noel Perrin noted in his book First Person Rural, it takes an optimist to plant peas into an April snow, but I've done it and to make good peas that's really when they ought to be planted. Same with oats and barley if the ground is fit ! So SmartAlex take note and have faith. Your "snow peas" will make sweet eatin' come Memorial Day in spite of their frigid Sunday planting ! ;)

3 comments:

RuckusButt said...

Oh so true! I love Robert Frost.

We are so much later this year compared to last...I have a post on this coming soon.

I have no plans for peas but got my beets and carrot seeds in on Friday. The rest are impatient in the dining room greenhouse...

RuckusButt said...

I do plant beans that were given to me by a neighbour (some Italian varieties, not sure) - do you think those could go in now, or wait until chance of frost is gone??

Jason said...

Beans are a warm season crop, so wait till early May and then plant half ! Save the other half and plant 'em after the 24th when it's safer ! Notice I said safer, not safe ! Beans will take a bit of frost but they won't take two weeks of April frost and they don't like snow at ALL !

Any time after now when the soil is fit to work it's time for carrots, peas, potatoes, cabbage, Swiss Chard, kohlrabi, and any other cool season crop that I'm not thinking about right now !

I'm coming home to visit the last of April and I'm REALLY hoping for some watercress, dandilion greens and asparagus. But given the cool weather I may be hoping in vain !