This is certainly going on much longer than I expected. (Is there a record for most hours spent in one's pajamas? I've set it.) Relief is in sight, however. Here are some thoughts and reminders as we dig ourselves out over the coming days.
There are still low temps in the forecast. I do not plan to remove my frost covers until overnight lows are reliably above 28 degrees. My frost cloths allow some light through. I may pull them back during the day once the ice melts, but that depends on the level of my enthusiasm...
Don’t rush to cut anything back. Pruning back freeze-damaged plants in haste is a mistake many homeowners make post winter blast. Many plants that look dead are simply damaged and will recover. Unless you are familiar with a plant and how it behaves in response to low temps, leave it be. There is a difference between freeze damage and freeze death. Remember that the temps we’ve experienced are consistent with Zones 7-8. Zone 8 is defined by average extreme minimum temperatures of 10-20 degrees. Zone 7 is defined by average extreme minimum temperatures of 0-10 degrees. I always recommend that any permanent planting is hardy to Zone 7 or lower unless you want to cover every year. Climate patterns in recent years are more consistent with Zone 7 despite our Zone 8 designation.Focus on indoor seed-starting. Tomatoes must be started indoors before February 1st. Before end of this month, start tomatoes, cool-season veggies, and perennials. See exactly what to plant each week in the planner.
February is for prepping beds. Cool-season veggies and flowers will go in mid-February through early March. Plan to establish new beds or amend existing ones ahead of spring planting. For a complete overview of February gardening, see pages 27-29 in the planner.
Upcoming Events
(Enrolled students have access to all live classes and replays of previous classes. Learn more about how to enroll here.)
TONIGHT: Indoor Seed-Starting Part Two, 6:30pm. If you missed Part One, you can still watch replay ahead of class.
Friday at 12:00 pm: Advanced Indoor Seed-Starting. We’ll cover how to use seed “flats” to 10x seedling production, diagnosing problems and fixing them, making your own seed mix, and precision fertility. Gardening 101 – Sat, Feb 7, 10:00 am Superb Spring Vegetable Garden – Wed, Feb 11, 6:30 pm Fruit Trees & Berries – Sat, Feb 14, 10:00 am
Available to Stream Now: Step-by-Step Building a Garden from Scratch Awesome Alliums Cottage Garden Cut Flowers with Cold Hardy Annuals Natural Pest and Disease Control
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