Sunday, December 7, 2008

A Snowy Garden

You may have noticed that this veggie blog has not been very veggie related for the last couple months. Well, this is because there is next to no veggies to blog about. This past weekend has been extremely cold, with the wind chill factored in, it feels like -20c(-4f). For anyone that is lucky enough to not know what wind chill is, it is not the actual temperature but what it feels like with the strong wind. We have also received our first snow accumulation that is enough to shovel.

We are supposed to have a few warmer days next week but I think the weather has pretty much set in. This will be the end of growing anything outdoors included in the cold frame. Next fall I want to be more prepared with my cold frame and possibly a large hoop cover seeded by Sept/Oct. This year, four season gardening will be a bust as it is just too cold to start anything.

I will continue blogging about this and that at least once a week but in terms of the veggie garden there will not be much to update other then how much snow piles up. I do have some plants to blog about over the winter like patio plants I keep over the winter, house plants, seed starting and of course getting the cold frame going in march. Up coming post for December will include short trips I have taken, amaryllis planting & care, the fence I am building although now on hold and whatever else is happening. The next veggie related task will not be until mid Jan when I start onions from seed.

I will end this post with some photos of the veggie patch as of Dec 7th at 3pm:


Not much need for mister ugly a/c unit now!

Broccoli


The runt of the three Brussels Sprouts, This one did
not produce any sprouts large enough to harvest.


-10c(14f), taken in full sun on the coldest
day we have had this fall.

12 comments:

  1. Oooh, just looking at those pictures makes me cold!

    I have been in Minnesota during the winter. I think once it got down to -37 degrees Celsius. Pretty darn cold.

    ReplyDelete
  2. -37f is very cold, we rarely receive temperatures that cold because we are surrounded by the great lakes. At times it has gone that low but only a couple times a winter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dan, so you built your coldframe too late to plant anything in it? I know I planted a bit later than optimal this year, but I'm still growing things. Based on my Four Seasons book, in cold areas, winter gardening is only winter harvesting of what grew in the late summer and early fall. Next year you'll rock with your cool coldframe!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gosh - it must be a real challenge to deal with weather that cold in your garden! It's been wonderfully crisp and frosty here in the UK but nothing like the weather you've been having.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dan, Even the sleeping garden under snow has its beauty and use.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dan - I'm probably gonna put mine to sleep before long, as well. It's too cold for anything to mature. Oh well....there's always composting and propagation to blog about.

    EG

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sinfonian - I was very late building the cold frame, I should have moved much fast on it. With the cold frame holding 0c to -10c it is too cold for even lettuce to germinated. Next year will be much better for sure, especially if I set up a hoop cover as well.

    Liz - It has been extremely cold for this time of year. I hope it is not a sign of what the winter will be like this year.

    Tina - It will be nice to have a break from the majority of garden tasks. The only use I can think of for the raised beds is four platforms for doing snow angels :-)

    EG - That's the thing, the plants still live but they stop growing all together. I can't even compost now as it is frozen solid but there will be propagation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You can look at them and dream too-but I way think your idea is funnier!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can relate to your situation about the blogging! As you know I have put my gardens to bed, but hope to keep things up online on a weekly basis. I'm sure there's always something garden-related to blog about. I'll stay tuned...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sally - I will be following your blog through the winter as well. It will give me something to do when I am not digging out from the snow :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dan
    Thanks for your comments on my blog. I have actually been following yours for some time. Just have not commented till now.
    I had to find out how all the blogging world worked.

    We have cold weather in TN just not much snow or as low temperatures as you get

    ReplyDelete
  12. skip - I just found your blog that day I commented on your page.

    ReplyDelete