Yes, This is what a normal Wisconsin spring is like. We have become spoiled by the last few years of warmer than normal temperatures. Spring in SE Wisconsin is mostly affected by the lake. This causes our weather to be normally cooler, and wetter, as we have seen this year.
How does this affect your garden ?? Well, our warm loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and melons struggle in these cooler temperatures.
You may have noticed yellowing of the leaves of your cucumber or melon plants, slow growth and lack of flowering. For these plants, all we can do is remove a few of the yellowed leaves to reduce stress on the plants, or use cloches, (a small translucent cover for protection). Then, wait for the weather to warm. On your tomatoes and pepper plants, you may have noticed the leaves of your tomato or pepper plants may have turned a shade of purple and may have purple veins in the leaves. This is caused by a phosphorus deficiency in the soil caused by the cool weather in the early part of this season. The soil has not had a chance to warm up enough to release the phosphorus from the ground.
To supplement the soil, you could add a small amount of weak fertilizer cut by 1/2 of the normal amount mixed into lukewarm water and then lightly watering the plants. Another option is to mix 1/2 teaspoon of epson salt into a quart of warm water and lightly water the plants.This only needs to be done once for this season. As we move forward into this growing season, we can look to the sun's warmth and higher temperatures to release the nutrients from the soil.
You can find more gardening tips and information on my Facebook page as we continue forward in the garden. "LIKE" us to follow along.
https://www.facebook.com/Kathys2ndChancePlants
Happy Gardening.