AppleJade Returns in June

I am returning to Seattle this May, and AppleJade will be on vacation until June 1, 2008 while I pack and travel.

Once I am settled in Seattle you will be able to join me here at AppleJade as I create a new vegetable garden from seed to table.  Until then, have a wonderful, productive season, and feel free to stop by and consider goal-setting, attitude adjustments, and easy ways to simplify your life.

See you in June!

Through sleet and snow the plants still grow

 

Philadelphia had a cold weekend, and here in Chester County we saw bits of sleet, snow, and freezing rain.  Our temperatures remained around 30 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Sunday, but our plants stayed cozy in the cold frame.

We have a small patch of onions in the main garden which I transferred from the coldframe in early Autumn.  Unfortunately, I never had a chance to build them a little row cover.  This year they are part of my experiment to see what will happen to the onions as we see months of cold, dry weather, and occasional snowfall.  My guess is, they may get a little mad and droopy, but they’ll survive just fine.

Meanwhile… in the coldframe the greens are cozy and happy, protected from wind and extreme cold.  I didn’t open the cold frame at all over the weekend, so as not to release the bit of warmth trapped inside.  The picture above shows the mizuna mustard greens pressed up against the cold frame, protected from the bitter cold. (Remember you can click on pictures to enlarge them).

We’ve had a lot of questions about how to build and use a cold frame.  In addition to our health discussions this December at AppleJade, I will be drafting up some simple steps for you to construct and use your own cold frame (although that may not be posted until January).

And don’t worry – even if it’s too cold for you to sow your seeds now, you can still make use of your cold frame in the coming spring (and next autumn/winter, of course).  A small amount of planning can dramatically improve the results of your gardening efforts – big or small!

PS – If you’re looking for a little inspiration today, hop over to my Brainripples blog.  Each week I offer the Monday Morning Muse featuring photography to help spark the creative!  Also, the Festival of the Trees 18 – November Arborea is now online at Riverside Rambles, composed by Larry Ayers.  The Festival of the Trees is a monthly blog carnival featuring posts about trees and forests from around the blogosphere – talk about inspiration!