The nursery currently has a good stock of onion sets, leeks, garlic and
shallots (bunching onions) - all ready to plant now.  

 

                        Surviving The Winter 
                                     by Chris Winslow

No one can deny that the big story last weekend was the weather. It was
cold... very cold!

Three nights below 20 degrees and a record low of 10 degrees on Saturday
morning. This type of weather can spell disaster for local vegetable gardens
and landscapes.

Even with row cover, my leafy greens and broccoli seem to be toast. I’m
just waiting to see if my onions are going to survive. The good news is ….
we can replant.

With the days getting longer and hopefully a bit warmer, there is still time to
pull off a successful winter garden. Good results can be had with onions,
broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, and leafy
greens such as lettuce and collards.

For asparagus lovers, two and three year old crowns should be arriving in
nurseries within a week or two. When planting out starters, be sure to water
in well and mulch to protect the tender seedlings from cold and drying out.

Toward the end of the month, we should be preparing our gardens for the
upcoming spring season crops.

Be sure to add plenty of fresh compost and organic fertilizers to replenish
plant nutrients. Look for fertilizers that are organically based and contain
beneficial bacteria.

This is a also good time for perennial pruning. Our recent arctic spell has
definitely frozen back all perennials. Cut them back to a few inches above
the ground and mulch. Mixing some organic compost with the mulch will
assure some nutrition to build beautiful new growth this spring.

For those of you with Monterrey or Mexican white oaks in your gardens,
don’t worry about leaf drop. The bitter cold is causing these evergreens
to shed their leaves. The trees are okay. They will shed the rest of their
foliage toward the end of February and put on a new flush of growth in
March. During this cold weather please remember to turn off all sprinklers.
The turf grass is dormant – and frozen water from active sprinklers was
creating all sorts of havoc last weekend.

Happy gardening everyone. Spring is just around the corner. Tomato growing,
just about my favorite thing, is fast approaching. Will it be heirlooms or hybrids?
Or a combination of both!