The snow storm of a few days ago was an early reminder of (perhaps) the season to come as Winter can be highly variable in Connecticut. Some years we have but a few trace dustings of white while for others over 100 inches of packed snow that don’t disappear from the landscape last until mid-April. The recent deposit of 14 inches of light, dry snow was greeted by us as would be a good friend who has not visited in a while. Shoveling the paths and driveways out was a pleasure during the day as the sun and activity kept us warm as we transferred snow from one point to another.
The dwarf Alberta spruces (Picea glauca 'Conica') that we had adorned in Christmas lights were buried, some to their tips, with snow appearing as even smaller versions of their selves. One tree in the evening appeared as a luminescent cultivated mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) with a white cap and lit green stem.
One of the more challenging areas to shovel is a greenhouse foundation upon which my raised garden beds sit as well as a smaller, plastic greenhouse. I try to throw snow away from the beds so that they are potentially not under mounds of snow during the melting season of Spring. But given the limited amount of space and amount of snow that needs moving, it becomes increasingly difficult as the Winter progresses.
Until recently, the warm Fall has afforded us the ability to harvest much from the garden. Left-over carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) and radishes (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) with lacy green tops have continued to adorn our salads every week. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) are clipped when needed. When Charlotte comes to visit she often visits the sorrel (Rumex acetosa) patch for a sample as recurrent frosts have done little to deter their growth. Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris), kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica) and mustard greens (Brassica juncea) are doing well though we have not harvested much of them.
But the greens in our cold frame have continued to be the base of our salads. A wide variety of winter-hardy lettuce (Lactuca sativa), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), Swiss chard and cutting celery (Apium graveolens var. secalinum) have emerged as fully grown heads ready to eat that I have been pulling a couple of times a week. The key to Winter harvests is to space them out so that your late Summer plantings can be enjoyed throughout the colder months.
After uncovering the cold frame from its snowy blanket, it was impossible to see inside as the inherent humidity within had frozen to the plastic, creating an opaque screen. And because the temperatures are much below freezing, it is ill-advised to open the frame up. With rain and warmer temperatures expected later this week, I hope that there will still be salads to eat inside by Christmas.
