What an awful start to an already late gardening season. In Kenai, there are reports of frost still down 8 inches, and in parts of Anchorage too, the soil hasn't warmed enough to really thrill a plant. For some reason, Valley weather is causing shrubs to bloom several days before ours, but even there a lot of folks are wearing their Alaska Grown sweatshirts instead of tees.
What to do? Well, since you can't change the weather, you have to change how you are gardening.
I guess I don't have to dwell on my perennial suggestion to have a hot-water faucet installed so you can access it with your hoses or perhaps ensure access from the outside to the hot water in the laundry area. Short of that, a bucket that fits into the utility sink is a must so you can put lukewarm water on plants.
At the very least, fill up a garbage can -- or several buckets -- with water and leave them indoors or outside in a protected area that can get a little sunshine -- when the sun is out. This will be better than the 38- to 40-degree water that comes out of the tap.
Next on the list are "cloches." (Now that "Teaming With Microbes" has been published in French, you can believe me that "cloche" is French for "bell." ) The French took large, clear, glass bells and put them over individual plants to act as small greenhouses. Glass is a big no-no in the garden (once it breaks, you are at risk forever), but pop and water bottles cut in half work just as well. Peel off labels and cover individual plants or seeded areas with the top halves. You can also use juice and milk containers if they are clear. If temperatures continue down into the 30s at night, place the caps on the tops to hold in the warmer air.
Depending on your garden setup, you may want to fill bottles with water and place them around plants. These will heat up during the day and let off warmth during the cool evenings. I suppose you can make an exception to the no-glass rule and use wine bottles if you must.
For larger garden areas, a tent made of clear plastic or woven cloth is ideal. Dry-cleaning bags used with hanger hoops can become tents, but watch out for the wind. That is why Reemay Cloth was invented. Some air flows through so the cover doesn't act like a sail, but temperatures rise inside nonetheless. You can get Reemay at most nurseries or on the Internet.
I don't like planting through plastic or cloth because it interferes with the workings of the soil food web, but there are exceptions, and one happens to be at the beginning of a cool season. Don't plant in the cover, but lay strips out between rows so they can be removed later. Clear plastic works better than black plastic. You can put cover over mulch. Don't forget that plastic covering requires a bit more attention to watering.
Since part of our problem comes from the wind, put up temporary barriers that block or deflect cool air. Even just turning that picnic table on its side and placing it against a garden will have a positive effect.
As for those tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in the outdoor greenhouse? Well, all of the above suggestions work indoors too. And you can always move plants inside during the cold evenings until things finally warm up. Trust me -- though I go way out on the limb here -- temperatures will go up.
Other suggestions include heating cables, running hot water pipes under gardens and placing a greenhouse or cold frame structure over your garden beds. These just seem a bit extreme in this time of supposed global warming, though I can guarantee if you take expensive measures to deal with the nasty weather, it will turn nice for the rest of summer. Maybe some of you should make that ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us.
Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame. Reach him at gardenerjeff.googlepages.com or by join-ing the "Garden Party" radio show, 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KBYR 700 AM.
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