The garden is dismal. When the hoop houses were opened, the destruction from the early polar vortex was apparent. As I feared, most of the young seedlings perished.
The lettuce that was started during the late summer underneath the okra plants which were nearing the end of their life cycle, also froze. It's winter. It happens.
However, it isn't all bad news. Enough of the Golden Cabbages are still alive to keep me happy.
It's interesting how plants, even though they are side by side, will react differently to the weather.
There is another row of Golden Cabbages that were started extremely late and are shockingly still alive. The seeds were dropped in the empty spaces beside the red shallots when they were planted just for kicks and giggles. I doubt if they will make it through January but you never know.
Winter gardening is tricky and can be done successfully. When everything clicks, it is exciting and rewarding.
These onions are the few remaining bulbs purchased in the spring and then stored in the vegetable bin in my refrigerator. Something leaked and ruined most of them. This spring more will be purchased and they will be periodically lifted to confirm they are thoroughly dry. In spite of my mistake, this is what success looks like. These lettuces will taste like summer on a snowy day.
Two years ago the winter garden was a smashing success compared to now. I took advantage of the abundance and canned all total 70 quart jars of greens for Reese. I'm glad I did. Yesterday I talked to him, informed him there will be none this year but, of course, he still has plenty left. That's how it is in gardening. The abundance is stored up for the lean times. All that is needed at present is enough fresh salads for the two of us.
March's 2024 garden after a long cold winter.
Last month I said, "we are done - really, really finished for the year and are ready to take a rest!!" Ha!
After sitting for a few days, a warm front moved in, the temperature shot up to a balmy 73 degrees, and we absolutely had to go outside. The wood around the weedy strawberry beds was rotten and the soil needed amending. The horse trainer who uses our field brought a load of fresh, pungent horse manure and then the "fun" began.
We removed the rotten wood, soil, and weeds then added oak leaves and manure.
More lumber must be purchased to make a second tier before the strawberries can be transplanted; but, that's a project for another day. We need to recover from this ordeal first.
As the sun was almost down, the rest of the manure was piled up in the new garden area created when positioning the new fence around underground boulders. Hopefully it will be rotted enough to serve as a potato bed this spring.
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