The Unveiling

We did indeed get right around 4-5" of snow, coming down most of the day on Sunday.  I had a stroke of paranoia late Saturday so gathered what tarps and sheets I had and in the midst of the rain and wind that was kicking up, staked them down over top of the little straw mounds I had covering the tomatoes.  I left a few control subjects with only their straw hats to test just how well that method would work by itself.   I believe the mercury only dipped to around 30 last night, but the snow had already melted so they didn't have that extra layer of insulation.  Went out this morning to remove the coverings.  Pushing back the straw I was quite happy to see that there was no damage of any kind.  Not even any breakage or smushage from the weight of the straw + tarp + snow, which I was also a bit concerned about.   I left the straw in place, in little rings around the 'maters.  If we get another cold snap, I can easily mold it back over top, and if not, it will act as a mulch - suppressing weeds before finally breaking down to feed the soil.   All the other cold tolerant veggies I have in the ground seemed to enjoy the brief respite from the Spring heat - with the additional moisture serving only to make them that much greener.