The month began at a balmy 75 degrees (F) and then dropped to 26 degrees (F) within 24 hours. For three nights in a row, it dipped to the lower twenties and killed about 60% of the seedlings. We went from summer to winter in one day.
Nothing was hardened off enough to withstand the sudden shock. The leaves were frostbitten and useless for eating.
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| 1,000 Head Kale |
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| Vitaminna |
When I first lifted the hoop house covers, it smelled like an old, slimy rotten salad forgotten in the back of a refrigerator. With most of the decay removed now, the new growth has begun to leaf out. There have been some sunny days so the recovery has been rapid.
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| Unknown name from my saved seeds |
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| Purple Lady Bok Choy |
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| Stem Mustard, Tsa Tsai |
More seedlings were planted this year than in previous ones because my list of favorite, winter must-have vegetables keeps growing longer; however, this is all that lived. It will not be enough to feed us through the winter.
For some odd reason, this one tatsoi survived without much damage at all. It looks so good I hate to pick it. If it makes seeds, I might plant a whole field next year.
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| Tatsoi |
Additional Links
Next Month's December Garden (2019)
Last Month's October Garden (2019)
Last Year's November Garden (2018)
November's Garden (2017)
November's Garden (2016)
Through the Garden Gate
I do think you might be on to something with your weather prediction!
ReplyDeleteAt least my livelihood doesn't depend upon accuracy like that of a weatherman's!
DeleteErratic might be the new normal...yes, that appears to be the case for many of us. The same thing happened here in S. Wisconsin: We had a very warm autumn through mid-October, and then suddenly very cold snowy weather. Now we're back to "normal" or a little warmer, for however long that lasts. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder? If we expect the weather to be erratic, will it then become normal?
DeleteToday has been autumnal with drizzle - still trying to convince itself summer is here. And on the Namibian border a small town hit 50 C achieving 'hottest place in the world today'
ReplyDelete50 C is 122 Fahrenheit (for my USA readers). THAT IS HOT! I am in the southern part of the USA - it gets hot here in the summer but I can't even imagine enduring that much heat. "Hottest place in the world today" is an award I would not want.
DeleteThat mist have be a shock to you as well as the plants! How frustrating that so many had died. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteIt was frustrating especially since so much had also been lost in the earlier summer drought. It has not been a good year for gardens.
DeleteEven if it looks a bit sad here and there, I am convinced that some plants will recover.
ReplyDeleteTry to draw new hope and joy by planning for your spring garden. The new seed catalogues will give you
many ideas (maybe too many).
As our temperatures are -5 degrees Celsius ( 23 F) during the night and in the early morning, I will
defrost my freezer the following morning. That is a good opportunity to check the contests and wash it
out. That is how I do it yearly.
I like to apologize for my stupid translation error. Of course I should have written "contents" and not
ReplyDelete"contests". I was too careless. English is not so easy for a foreigner.
Christel
No need to apologize - your English is 100 times better than my German! I knew exactly what you meant. My freezer does not need to be checked since we had to buy a new one this past year. It was empty then and only filled as my garden produced. Since the garden did not do well, my freezer is not stuffed as in years past. So far we are still relying on the winter garden, but it won't last long, although, today the weather will be sunny and get up to 60 degrees (F). The greens will take advantage of the sunlight and do some rapid growing.
DeleteI am enjoying the new seed catalogs and have already found a few new things. There are still many more to arrive.
I wanted to come by and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year...
ReplyDelete