Winter Stops By

Winter stopped by for two days this week, bringing temperatures into the teens.  This meant I had to actually use the row covers I was so excited about two months ago.  I had planned to only have one or two winter beds and thought I had plenty of fabric, but it turns out that my fall plantings were still thriving and I didn't want to loose them.  I ended up covering five beds, but didn't quite have enough fabric.  I was hoping the broccoli could handle the frost better than the lettuce, carrot, or radish, so they got the abbreviated cover.  I have also harvested most of the main crowns, but was hoping to keep harvesting side shoots.

Some of the leaves on the edge are a bit droopy, but it seems they survived.

In the lettuce, onion, and cauliflower bed, the romaine and leaf green lettuce did well while the mesclun mix is wilted.  I will have to remember that for next year's planting.  However, they were located on the end of the bed and it was a windy night and the row cover may not have stayed put too well.

The radishes look a bit droopy, carrots seem fine, and in the back is a pathetic artichoke plant.  Last spring I had a bout of impulse shopping at the farmer's market and bought an artichoke plant.  Even though I don't eat artichoke often, I thought I would if I grew it.  However, I got zero artichokes and hundreds of aphids this past year.  I was suppose to dig it up and store it for the winter, which you can see did not happen.  It's not looking too great... we'll see if it survives.

 

Another bed of carrots, beets, turnips, and some others also seems to have made it through the chill.

Domino has been working hard to clean up the leftovers in the garden, including cabbage leaves:

Temperatures are back up to the 60s, that is until Winter decides to stop by again.