With rain forecast for tomorrow after a decent dry spell, I decided it was time to get started with my spring planting, even though it is fairly early on a calendar basis. But first, I had to check the status of things that were still in the ground when winter hit last November. We had a fairly cold, dry winter, though without any real extremes other than the quick descent from a balmy Thanksgiving to an immediate regime of teeens at night and low thirties in the daytime.
Winter came on so quick, and I was so busy (teaching four days a week and going to grad school full time) that I never had a chance to get my spring bulbs in until early February, when we had another warm spell...and now here in March it has gone cold on us again. As usual, all we can do is react, and try finesse our crops from a fickle nature. At least I had my wood in, so I didn't freeze -- and I never had to turn on the baseboards once!
So, the crops: The garlic is already up and green (though not the shallots), and the few brassicas that survived the winter are beginning to perk up, too. It is the first time I have let any go through the winter down here, and I'll be curious to see if any of them produce something before running to seed. The earlier of the two fall plantings of carrots look like they may produce something, but all the beets and radishes and celery roots froze out -- as did the lettuce -- since I never got out to cover them with Reemay or leaves. The parsnips look fine (and big). Oh, and the spinach is fine, if a little bedraggled; I'm sure it will come around nicely now, with the weather warming.
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