Winter Bites Back

I knew I’d invite a cold snap by posting about “mild winters” and commenting that spring can’t be far off…

Yesterday I bundled up and watered everything really well ahead of the looming windy nights under 20 degrees; I have read that this helps vs cold injury on some plants. After everything was appropriately watered I couldn’t help myself and played “ice maker” with the hose:

And my favorite, but you’ll need to click the thumbnail because I have it set in a larger format :

It is amazing how fast things ice up with a fine spray directed over them….

After the ice making stopped amusing me I finished up some other winterizing tasks, including adding a layer of spun poly row cover to shelter the young lettuce transplants in the hoop house. I checked them today and the lettuce seems fine after a night of 18 degrees. The ground temperature inside is a few degrees warmer than outside; the row cover not only protects against frost, it also helps retain some of the ground’s heat.

The parsley was knocked down enough to expose the dill that it was sheltering on the right but it should spring back without issue:

I also completed the seed starting “box” in the basement – more to follow.