The sun will rise this morning at 4:14 am, and set 19 hours 10 minutes later at 11:24 this evening. It’s now reached above 45° elevation at solar noon, and it never gets darker than civil twilight.

Mints. I pulled the plastic sides down last night.

Mints. I pulled the plastic sides down last night.

Unfortunately the lovely warm weather of the past couple of weeks is fading, even as the trees continue to green up (and shed pollen.) We are once again skimming freezing at night. I now have almost more flats of plants hardening than I have room to bring them in at night, but even with floating row cover I hesitate to leave them out overnight. It would probably be all right if the clouds stayed in place, but with this much cold air aloft even a brief clear spell at night will bring a touch of frost. Only the mints are actually planted, and they will take some frost. (I have the mint bed under plastic, too.) But the other herbs and the flowers still have to be brought into the heated garage when frost threatens.

At least this year the radiation and Herceptin aren’t bothering my energy level much.