Hello everyone,
Well, I couldn't take it anymore. About a week ago, I dug out my herb seeds and started 2 oblong planters of different herbs just to see something green. I have a warm spot in my hot water heater closet and they are doing quite well. I brought them out the past few days to get some sun in the south window. We didn't get the snow but boy did we get the cold, and I mean bitter cold, Tuesday morning, it was -11* below, with a windchill of -35* below. Today, it was -1* below, but the windchill were still up around -20 to -25* below. We still have some wind and though the sun is shining, it is very cold. I am ready for spring.....
It sounds like we will start getting some breaks in the weather where I can get up my greenhouse plastic and wrap my large blue containers for some lettuces and some mesclun. I was asked what type of greens I grow, and I splurge on some expensive European seeds that take cold weather. I buy from two companies: one is www.kitchengardenseeds.com
and the other is: www.cooksgarden.com The seeds are pricey, but I like some unusual greens and salad makin's and I enjoy them very much so I spend a little extra for me, and my salad bowl. In the Cooks garden catalog, they have seeds are based on what works in low level winter sun and cold, and then some that are spring and summer. I also will plant Spinach and have baby spinach, a few years ago, my spinach I planted went through -35 to -45 below wind chills just being covered with two heavy old comforters over the top of the greenhouse plastic and when I had a break in the weather in the first week of February, I took the covers off, and my spinach rode through the cold with flying colors, and it was so sweet and tender. It was worth the fretting over to keep it covered. The spinach I planted was Bloomsdale Long Standing, a savoy leafed spinach.
Other than the cold, there has not been anything going on except the bills, and cabin fever. Our temps will level out here for a few days and then cold again over the weekend, and then a warm up. We'll see.
Anyway, I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the week, and a full and productive weekend. Send me some warm air, which I am sure the eastern part of the country is wanting as well. They also need some snow gone. I sure the groundhog will do his best. But, be glad of the moisture that has been received for every one's gardens and flowers.
Take care all.
Good on you for getting your herbs started. It refocuses your mind on the fact that winter WILL end and spring is just around the corner. A bit of an act of faith for you given your current temps though!
ReplyDeleteI loved the photos of all your planters around the place - you can surely grow quite a bit in those.
Thanks for the links. I am going to check out those seeds.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have garden veggies in the winter. I have The Four Season Harvest Book but not being a very experienced gardener I didn't quite understand it all. I'll go back and read it again.
You said you are going to cover your containers. When do you put out your seedlings?
Thanks for any/all info you share!
I must get busy and plant some seeds.
ReplyDeleteSeeing those tiny little things really makes me want to get some under the lights.
Of course, I will have to quit shoveling snow first!
But you will be ahead of the game when the temps do warm up. Good for you.
We were grateful for the moisture down here. We are still .95 inches below the norm. Typical gardener/farmer we begin thinking drought!
Stay in out of that brutal cold.
The Arlo and Janis cartoon for groundhog day had the ground hog leaving his burrow, going into their house and curling up on their bed. The pipes to my kitchen sink are frozen and I've been washing dishes in the bathtub. Kinda hard on the old knees. Has not been warm enough to thaw them yet. Hope they haven't burst. That's all I need is another plumbing disaster. Where I live (Texas Panhandle) is at the same latitude as Casablanca Morocco, and we've had subzero temps, day as well as night) for almost a week now. Colder here than in Southern Scotland, which is at the same latitude as Newfoundland.
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