February's Garden (2024)

It has been warm most of the month, which is quite unusual for February.  Its a risk, but all of the hoop houses have been removed. Underneath was a surprise because not only has almost everything lived, but the hidden plants have grown substantially.

For the first time ever, the winter radishes, napa cabbages and cilantro survived. The only thing that was destroyed by the harsh weather in January were the carrots which were inside this collapsed hoop house.

Only those at either end of the row lived.

The row was dug but the harvest was miniscule. Most were rotted.

The second carrot bed which was not under a hoop house is fine. The roots are small but should start growing again. A crop of spring carrots will be a first. Next year, no carrots will be covered with a hoop house. The result of this experiment has been surprising.

We have been given a wagonload of manure from our neighbor who has a horse stable. Truly, one man's trash is another one's treasure. He's so glad to get rid of it that he delivers it to the garden. I'm so thrilled to get it that I run out of the house celebrating.

It was spread high on the empty carrot bed but will be decomposed by planting time.

As plants are harvested they are replaced with manure.

Many of the plants are beginning to bolt so they must be harvested soon.

The Golden Chinese Napa Cabbage will be allowed to produce seeds since I'm almost out. 

The back section of the garden is going to be rearranged. Instead of two gates, there will only be one center aisle. The plan is to erect a taller fence around the whole garden to hopefully, keep out the horde of predators. We have lost so much this year that we need to provide more protection. The alarm sensors have worked and allowed us to fight back but only after damage has been done.

The volume of predators that ripped through the garden last year was mind boggling.  Nashville is now the fastest growing city in the USA, we are 50 miles away. The overflow construction of subdivisions around us is massive. The wildlife is on the move and they all seem to find my garden. We welcome all to our woods, fields and yard. It's only the vegetables I want to protect.

(Please ignore the poor quality of the photo, it is impossible to get close.) There is a pair of hawks perched atop the support structures watching the garden awaiting the arrival of a meal. At night, a barn owl, (named Hootie) arrives at dusk, lands a few feet from me and hunts over my shoulder. He doesn't fly away when Bill passes by to dump the compost and has learned to turn his head when he sees the flashlight. My garden is an abundant hunting ground.

As the sun returns, March will be a time of rapid growth spurts because the roots are well established. My time has been spent preserving as much as possible which has felt crazy in the dead of winter.  I have frozen spinach, canned greens and carrots, fermented radishes, dehydrated cilantro and will soon be saving seeds.

The winter garden is about over and has been a surprising success. Perhaps the snows won't return and we can get the spring garden out early. At least, that is what we wish.

Last Month's January Garden (2024)

Last Year's February Garden (2023)

Through the Garden Gate