February's Garden (2025)

The garden is quite bare, but it is the end of February. Just the fact that somethings have survived is amazing to me. I always marvel that winter gardening is possible - it's tricky but can be done. Finding information the first time I tried it was almost impossible. Most knowledge has come from trial and error. This year has been no exception. I have learned so much.

Growing more spinach was a goal this winter. Four beds were planted but only two survived after repeat plantings. We got enough but could have enjoyed more. Next year will be better because of all I learned.

• Don't plant the seeds when the ground is hot; which, of course, will vary from year to year. Last year the soil didn't cool down until a month later than normal causing me to lose many seeds. 
• Stick with the tried and true dependable Bloomsdale. The newly purchased varieties (due to being out of seeds) didn't perform as well.
• Even though they went out later than years past, they made up for lost time by growing faster.
• The colder it became, the better the flavor. Some leaves actually tasted sweet when nibbled in the garden but the sweetness disappeared after harvesting. They were delicious but not worth sitting on a frozen stool in sleeting snow picking one dirty leaf at a time with numb fingers.
• Now that the sun has returned, the plants are growing rapidly.  Almost every plant was stripped down to two leaves a week ago.

These are the onion bulbs that were purchased last spring and stored in my refrigerator all summer long. They out lived those in this row that were started from seed in late September.

These were started in late August and have done much better.

Growing onions during the winter is my goal because there is plenty of space available. They can be easily stored, dehydrated, pickled, canned or frozen making room for other spring crops.

• All onions must be put under hoop houses. They need the extra protection. It is easy to plant them and forget them because weeds can't grow fast enough to cover them.
• Purchasing the bulbs in the spring and storing them in the refrigerator was the way to go. They were stronger and able to better withstand the elements.
• This year, if I start any from seeds, the instructions will be ignored. They will be started much earlier, probably around the first of August. The extra time is needed for growth. 
• Planting onions with spinach and mulching with leaves worked the best as in the picture below. Leaves are better than grass clippings because the spinach stays cleaner.

Swiss Chard must, absolutely must be under covers. Every plant in this row that was outside of the too short hoop house is gone.

Another valuable lesson learned is that plants need more nutrition during brutal cold weather. 

The leaves of the collard greens became a pale light green. After they were given a nitrogen boost, the new leaves turned a healthy dark green. Below, the outer leaves are still light green but the new growth is darker. The unhealthy leaves will be deadheaded so the nutrition will flow to the new leaves.  

Not everything was a success. Only one broccoli survived. Finding a better variety is necessary.

Two winters ago carrots were planted under covers and in the open to see if the hoop houses helped. In or out made no difference so this year none were covered. All died! Every single little carrot is gone! Last year's February (2024) garden was amazing compared to this year. I tried just as hard but the results have been completely different. 

Even though there were quite a few failures, there were more than enough successes to make winter gardening worth the effort. Everything about it is different from summer gardening. It is like gardening on another planet. We had enough fresh greens for meals and were able to share with others. Overall, I am thrilled with the success and decree WINTER IS OVER! Let the spring planting begin.

Last Months January Garden (2025)

Last Year's February Garden (2024)