On your mark, get set...

I am late getting started this year, I hope to plant lots of lettuce, kale, chard, parsley and other greens this weekend and start setting up an automatic watering system.

Forsythia, daffodils and hyacinth are in full regalia. Emerging peonies and lilies are about 4" tall.

Spring has arrived

I checked in on the gardens this past weekend, removing the plastic covering, refilling slug traps and doing a little weeding. My overall feeling is that the winter garden was a success and I am confident that with proper timing, I can provide a good supply of greens and root vegetables for the family next winter.

All of the veggies that survived the winter are now becoming vigorous. I am especially pleased with the garlic, it looks like we will get a good harvest this year from the small cloves that were transplanted last summer. Signs of spring are abundant. Many things are flowering and many buds are swelling. It was especially good to see so many people out enjoying the 70 degree weather yesterday after a long, cold winter.

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.

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...