It’s hard to to accept when things don’t go the way you have planned.
In all my years of gardening, every year brings about a new challenge. Late frost, garden pests, nitrogen deficiencies.
Over the past few days,we have varied from snow and freezing temperatures at night, to overnight switching to sunshine and 70’s.
Our cold crops have been in the ground for over a month. They’ve survived a night and full day covered by thick snow in April. The only protection, a thin sheet of frost cloth. They’ve surviving windstorms that blew limbs from trees and stole your breath away.
But the several days in a row we have had this week that dipped below freezing was too much for many of my little plant-babies. Kohlrabi, kale, spinach all wilted and yellowed from having frozen and died under the frost cloth.
Many plants that can handle cold weather will survive (or thrive) with light frosts. Those mornings when the tiny ice particles cling to the blades of grass and adorn uncovered leaves will usually turn kale and root vegetables sweeter.
But when the plant suffers a hard freeze, the cell walls burst inside as the thaw comes. You’re left with a limp, translucent, mushy version that cannot bounce back.
I think my failure to save the seedlings lies in the frost cloth. Every other year I’ve done an early garden, I’ve covered without domes or wire to hold the cloth up above the plants. This had saved the plants from the light frosts in the past, but I’ve never experienced a hard freeze this late in the year.
Instead of protecting the plants underneath, the frost cloth (dampened from the previous nights rain) formed a solid sheet of ice directly onto the plants. Which was too much, even for my curly kale.
Now I know.
Next year, we’ll invest in some support for them.
There’s always two options you can take when faced with disappointment. The garden offers many successes but equally as many failures.
The beauty in garden failures are the hope for change next growing season. Taking the areas that you struggle with and doing better next time.
I spent some time after the boys were in bed tending the plants that survived the cold weather. Pulling out the dead ones, trimming up the ones still clinging to life.
I still have hope many will pull through.
Food
The boys and I have been foraging violets for the past few weeks. This week has been their big time to shine, as the hill next to our house is teeming with the purple beauties.
I’ve been focusing on drying them for teas this winter, but do plan on making some fun purple syrup or jam with them too.
We’ve collected a 16 eggs this week, so far, had fresh spinach, and raw asparagus.
The ducks have grown so much over the past week! We’ve found we really enjoy letting them free range as they don’t tend to damage the garden the way chickens do.
I’m working hard with the momma goats on developing routine and earning their trust. Both does have started getting their feed on the milking stand, but will have another week before we really commit to daily milking.
We welcomed in 9 more chicks this week, as well! 6 silkies and 2 Easter Egger (chickens that can lay a miriad of pastel colored egges)/Silkie crosses. Unfortunately, we lost 3 chicks on their second night-including both of our Easter Egger/Silkie babies.