January 29, 2023

Garden Notes: January 2023

Rainfall 

  • 3rd-4th: 3.2"
  • 8th: 0.5" 
  • 12th: 0.65"
  • 17th: 0.75"
  • 18th: 0.3"
  • 22nd 1.2"
  • 25th: 1.6"
  • 29th: 0.3"
  • Total: 8.5 inches
Temperature
  • range of nighttime lows: 22 to 57°F (-5 to 14°C)
  • range of daytime high: 42 to 68°F (5 to 20°C)

Not much to report garden-wise this month. We lost our winter garden during the December winter kill, and it's been too cold, windy, or rainy to do much outdoors. But the daffodils are blooming, and that's a happy sight.

With all the rain and cold temps, the ground's too wet to work on swales and swale beds. My garden project on nice days has been to finish bed clean-up and mulching. I'm working on re-mulching some of the aisles too. 

The beds are mulched with leaves and the aisles are scraped with a shovel. Then I put down a layer of cardboard and top with woodchips. That will last for about two years, until the weeds start popping through. Then I scrape up the decomposing wood chips, mix them with compost, and spread them in a vacant garden bed to age a bit more.

Next month, I'll sort through my seeds and make a garden plan. 

Anyone have anything going on in their garden?

16 comments:

Rosalea said...

What...no snowfall amounts! Joking, Leigh. Your daffodils are beautiful. Mine are under a couple of feet of snow. What variety of wood do you use for your raised bed frames, and how often do you have to replace the wood as it rots?

daisy g said...

What??? Your daffs are already in full bloom? Oh my. I don't remember where you are stationed, but I thought ours were early. I noticed buds forming on the daffs out front. We are in the Piedmont area of NC. We, like you, lost most of our crops to the cold. We still have garlic, thyme, kale and our cover crops going strong. Looking forward to seeing what spring brings to gardeners everywhere!

Leigh said...

Rosalea, we have had zero snow so far this year! Unusual, but there's still time.

Dan mills the bed frames from pine, which doesn't last more than a couple of years. You can see how some of them are in need of being replaced, but they'll have to wait while he works on the greenhouse.

Daisy, amazing isn't it? I'm farther south than you, but I suppose elevation makes up for it. I think they're blooming early this year.

I'm discovering that some of my garlic made it, onions too. Hopefully, more will sprout new leaves soon.

Jenn Jilks said...

We've had the equivalent precipitation, but snow!

Mama Pea said...

You can imagine what's going on in my garden! Everything is still snuggled under layers of snow. We are in the midst of our first real cold snap of the winter with a low this morning of 6 below. Which isn't a normal low for our area. We've had a very warm winter of only down into the teens above for much of the season. Does that mean we may have an early spring? I would like to see that. I may take a screen shot of your lovely yellow blooms and show them to mine which are covered with much snow and a bit of ice yet. :o(

Anonymous said...

Yikes!
I still have cabbage, broccoli and sprouts growing.
I managed to find a variety that continues to grow as one harvests the larger heads.
We as you know had a mountain of water dropped on us November to early January. Now we are on a run of two weeks with hard freezes.

So no chance to start on the garden beds that are still empty or are covered in cover crop. Too wet, too frozen and when everything thing is fairly “normal” the native herbs and grasses are going stink’n crazy. I simply try to pretend it will calm down so clean up can commence 🤪

By the by nice kids!

Goatldi

Leigh said...

Jenn, when we get our winter rains I'm amazed that they always seem to warm up a bit. If one inch of rain equals 10 to 12 inches of snow, then that 8+ inches of rain would be 80 to 96 inches of snow! It never works out that way though.

Mama Pea, you'll be enjoying your daffodils after mine are all gone!

There never seems to be a way to take the weather we've had so far and predict what will happen next. Many have tried! I do hope you get mild weather again soon.

Goatldi, lucky you! And I've been truly happy that you've gotten so much rain. You all have needed it for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Thankyou

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Leigh, my garlic and onions seem none the worse for wear. Everything else did not make it past the freeze, including the two lime trees that froze last year. Time to pull them out and try something else.

Leigh said...

TB, that's too bad about the limes. But at least you gave it a try and I never think an experiment is a waste of time. Something is always learned. Glad your garlic and onions made it! At least some of mine survived.

Ed said...

We spread compost and then seeded down half of it in red clover to remind us that we are trying to cut back. In another four weeks or so, I plan to return to burn the asparagus bed to prepare it for spring. Then it is just waiting for the first nice weekend day to till.

Leigh said...

Ed, saying 'trying to cut back' makes gardening sound like an addiction! LOL. I never thought about burning the asparagus bed, so I'm intrigued with that. Like all my perennial beds, it's most prone to tenacious weeds.

Ed said...

It really helps to get rid of all the old asparagus stalks and weeds. However, we do it because I've heard it is supposed to speed up production by warming up the ground. Honestly I don't think that part is true but we do seem to get asparagus before others. However, I think that may be due to the type or planting depth of the crowns or some other variable. The fire burns quickly and any added warmth would quickly be drawn out and disappear. But it removed all the old debris and weeds and doesn't harm anything so we continue to do it.

Nina said...

Your daffodils are lovely. It will be a couple of months yet before we have any. Stupid snow and cold. It's too early yet to even start seeds! But in another month we'll be able to tap the maple trees, so there is something yummy to look forward to.

Leigh said...

Nina, tapping maple trees is something I don't get to do! I reckon we just have to appreciate where we are.

Leigh said...

Ed, maybe I should try that. Soil temperature is important. My asparagus always seems to come up late, so experimenting wouldn't hurt.