Did you know?

• that the biggest gardening problem in Colorado isn't the weather, but the basic (as opposed to acidic) soil?
• that gardening burns, on average, 8.5 calories per minute? Now consider that no one, generally, gardens for less than a couple hours. An afternoon spent gardening is similar, calorie-wise, to running a few miles.
• that the largest recorded temperature change in Colorado was in 1949 near Fort Collins when it fell from 50 degrees to -40 in 24 hours? The largest fluctuation in U.S. weather is only 10 degrees more than that, in Montana in 1916. 

No thanks...

• that grapes, despite being roughly 80% water, take less water to grow than many other fruits and vegetables? They are also very adaptable to different kinds of soil, but the soil will make the taste of the grape change as well.
• that elevation is not the biggest determining factor in growing season? Cold air rolling down from surrounding mountains and getting stuck in a valley will cause more issues than being at a higher elevation that isn't in an air pocket. 

     I spent a good portion of this past Sunday pulling up old plants, turning over soil, digging up stumps, and preparing a new garden bed for a friend of mine, who graciously lent me some space in her back yard. Just under three hours in, as I was laying the last brick to edge off the garden area, my back let me know it was time to wrap it up. I noticed it was getting a bit chillier, and decided to clean up and call it a day. 

     After heading home and taking a shower, I looked outside and saw that, in the 30 minutes since I'd come indoors, the sky had clouded over, the temperature had dropped 10 degrees, and it was now coming down buckets in a mix of snow and rain. Guess that'll help settle the soil, and for once, I'm glad my back flares up now and then. Cheers!