Rainfall
- 2nd: 0.9"
- 9th: 0.4"
- 11th-12th: 1.0"
- 15th: 0.05"
- 17th: 0.95"
- 20th: 0:05"
- 23rd: 0.05"
- 24th: 0.15"
- 27th: 0.125"
- Total: 3.675 inches
Temperature
- range of nighttime lows: 25 to 63°F (-4 to 17°C)
- range of daytime highs: 46 to 79°F (8 to 26°C)
Weather Notes
With the exception of the past week, our lows have mostly been in the 30s. We're still in our winter weather pattern, which is that temps warm up as a new front approaches, then drop significantly after the front moves through.
The wind is picking up as spring approaches. On gusty days it's strong enough for me to use extra clothes pins when I hang out laundry!
Winter Kill Survivors
In December, we lost our winter garden from a severe hard freeze. I was curious if anything would make a comeback, and amazingly, a few plants have.
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| Of course, the winter wheat survived and is now thriving. |
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| Lone surviving kale plant in the African keyhole garden. |
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| Field turnip (one of many) growing new leaves |
You may recall that I harvested a lot of the turnips growing in my pasture before the winter kill. They've been in a box in the pantry, and have kept fairly well, although softening up a bit and sprouting leaves. So I've been surprised to find most of the turnips I left in the field have not only survived, but thrived. A few turned mushy from being frozen, but most of them are crisp and growing.
My daikons, on the other hand, were all killed. Even the ones I mulched heavily in their garden bed. They all froze and turned to mush. That was be good for the soil, but left none for feeding ourselves and the goats.
Lesson learned: If faced with a severe freeze again, harvest the daikons and mulch the turnips!
Some of my collards also survived.
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| I didn't plant this, it's a volunteer from the compost. |
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| One of three surviving and thriving heading collards in the garden swale berm. |
Mostly, I want to let these survivors go to seed for collecting. Whatever they've got genetically, I want more of! I harvest a few leaves now and then for a treat.
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| Chopped garden collard greens, goat cheese from this year's first paneer, and sliced leftover potato oven fries, both sweet and white. |
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| All scrambled with eggs because the chickens are laying again. |
Garden Tasks
I tried to do a little leveling in the garden swale, but the clay is too wet, heavy, and sticky. So, I've continued aisle clean-up and wood chip mulching.
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| Daffodils are blooming everywhere |
Dan is replacing bed borders, so everything is beginning to look neat and tidy.
Planted
It's early for planting, but these are cool weather veggies that I hope will make it.
- snow peas
- carrots
- daikons
- turnips
- lettuce
- radishes
I also planted some of the garlic that was sprouting in the pantry.
So far . . .
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| Snow peas |
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| Probably daikons |
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| Seedling carrots with violets and fall planted garlic. |
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| The cultivated burdock is awakening from dormancy and sprouting leaves. |
A very welcome sight! But I know better than to succumb to the planting bug. The past couple years, we've had late frosts, so I'm not going to assume that lovely weather now predicts anything. As we all know, weather is very fickle.
So, there's the record of my garden happenings for February. How about you? Anything going on in your garden?
Garden Notes: February 2023 © February 2023
