It has been a wild winter and we still aren't half way through! There have been three back-to-back polar vortices ("vortexes" in the south) which caused the temperatures to drop into single digits for days. This has been unprecedented for my zone 7a area. The garden has been slammed. Most of the plants are gone or are barely holding on for dear life. The pictures look bad and it doesn't look much better in person.
This garden looks pitiful compared to last year's garden.
It warmed up to 61(f) degrees yesterday which is crazy for January. We uncovered all the beds since there will be a few days of warmth. The leaves have turned a pale yellowish green which is a sign of low nitrogen. They need more nutrition. Never has there been a need to feed anything in the middle of winter but this year, as usual, everything is different. It seems the high winds and bitter cold have caused them to be stressed.
The beets look dead but the roots are fine. Now that the ground has thawed enough to dig, all will be harvested.
The spinach bed was in a semi decent condition.
The Collard greens were the palest green I have ever seen.
Collards are one of the hardiest cold weather vegetables and a few have done a good job surviving.
Nothing in the garden was healthy enough to pick. There is no need eating anything that is probably low in nutrition. After a few days of warm weather, sunshine and fertilizer, everything should perk up. The garden could roar back to health or it might all die. Winter gardens are like that. I'm not shocked. Considering I'm trying to do the impossible - garden in the dead of winter - it is amazing anything is growing. I'll take any wins I can get.
Last Month's December Garden (2024)
Last Year's January Garden (2024)
No comments:
Post a Comment