Monday, March 11, 2013

Checking in on the winter garden

We had a brief thaw last weekend which allowed me to check in on the winter garden. There was good news and bad news. The good news is that the lettuce in frame 3-1 and the carrots in frame 3-3 survived the deep, extended cold temperatures that we had in January and February (we saw a low of 1 degree F on January 25 and 7 degrees F on February 10). Also, the spinach that was planted in mid-January in frame 2-3 is about ready to put on a second set of leaves.

The bad but not unpredictable news is that the chard in frame 2-3 was killed by cold temperatures when the cover blew off in heavy winds in January, and the radicchio in frame 2-1 was burned severely due to the outer cover not sealing off the inside of the frame completely. However, in both cases, the kale appears to have survived.

There have been many sightings of birds returning and crocuses blooming in spite of temperatures expected to fall into the teens later this week.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Interminable Winter

It has been six weeks since I last looked in on the garden frames. Unfortunately, highs only in the 20's are expected again this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing how the plants have survived the extreme cold temperatures. Maybe next week...