Our first significant snow this year fell Christmas Day and through the night.
This was the view from my balcony the next morning. If you look closely, beyond my row of pine trees there is less snow. My house and property get only five hours of sunlight during the middle of December and part of January. Then the sun never rises above the trees on the mountain providing only diffused light. Most of the garden is resting, but when the snow melts there will still be mustard and turnip greens to harvest.
This next view was taken many years earlier. The pines are small and locust trees line the road. The locust were all used for firewood. Hemlock and pines were planted to take their place. It shows the reason to plan ahead when your plant. The pines were only inches tall so I planted them only three feet apart. I also should have trimmed them as they grew. Now several have been cut down, and I need to climb each one to keep it topped for my view.
It’s a landscaping lesson that will stay with me.
This snow below was heavier and more wide-spread. It is beautiful but can also be lethal to evergreens. Often limb are broken off.
Sometimes heavy snows come with blizzard conditions. At least the snow is blown off tree limbs, but that’s usually when we lose power.
My cat enjoys the snow. Mice are easier to track.
At the end of my driveway are many beautiful rhododendrons.
They often are damaged. And they were also planted too close together. However, they adapt well to being trimmed, even coming back after being cut to the ground.
There are many task to be finished before the garden is ready to plant in the spring.
Meanwhile, I’m ordering seeds and planning when to plant them indoors to transplant outside.
If you’re lucky someone will give you seeds that they saved from heirloom tomatoes, candyroasters, or other special plants. But for all the rest now is the time to start ordering seeds to start indoors, and early planting outside.
When the spring plants start arriving in the home improvement stores and discount stores most of them are grown by Park Seed Company. So I order my seeds from them too.
Park Seed Company
It’s always fun to try new vegetables, herbs and flowers. Here are a few of many that interest me:
Balmoral Hybrid_________Magda Hybrid_________Cornell’s Bush Delicata
Squash
Balmoral Hybrid would be a good squash for my friends who garden in containers on their deck. Since squash usually sprawls all over, it seems a good choice for anyone with limited space.
Very interesting! Since it produces earlier than most, and may taste even better, Magda Hybrid is on my list.
What a pretty winter squash. Cornell’s Bush looks ornamental as well as sounds tasty. This year I plan to find out.
Basal Minimum_____________________Lemon Grass
Herbs
Often my basil has to be propped up, so the Basal Minimum will be a good trial for this year.
My favorite salad dressing has lemon grass in it, but I’ve never tried to grow it. Add this one.
Summer Glory Blend
Lettuce
A variety of lettuces grown in the same place is ornamental as well as delicious. And if Summer Glory Blend will last two months longer, that’s a wonderful bonus.
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These would be perfect for a cruncy snack.
Baby Cucumber Cucino
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From year to year I keep my seeds in the freezer. They are organized in a wooden Clementine crate. Each type (squash, tomato, herbs, greens, etc.) is stored in a labeled plastic bag. It has helped me find them easily when planting time comes. They last for many years this way. Some even seem to germinate better after a year in the freezer.
My Stamen apple tree is usually filled with ripe apples in the fall, but the damaging snow last spring came when the tree was full of blossoms. So the honeybees and I were very disappointed.
The Stamen apples make the most wonderful applesauce. It’s simple to cut out the core, peel them and cook in a little water until they are soft, adding cinnamon or other preferred spices. A hand held immersion blender completes the task. When frozen the applesauce lasts for the winter, and tastes fresh when thawed.
Another easy way to fix fresh apples is to slice them into a microwave safe glass container. Add cinnamon, butter, and sugar if they need it. Then microwave, stirring after each two minutes, until they are soft.
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When visiting Long Island, NY, my friend Methel fixed this luscious apple tart. She graciously shared the recipe.
