Garden Update

We have now had a couple of hard freezes, and the results are evident throughout the yard and garden. "Hard freeze" is a term not used much in the northern climes where we have been living. After all, when winter sets in in New England, the only question is how far down is the ground frozen? In this climate, horticultural zone 8b, whether there is a freeze, how long it lasts, and how low the thermometer goes all have a significant bearing on whether tender plants survive or die. Gardeners in these parts plant many vegetables, shrubs, and flowers that will tolerate little to no frost. It's a gamble: last year there was no killing frost; this year we have had several. We will have to wait until spring to see the effects on some of the plants that went into the ground over the past year.

I did not plant anything in the vegetable garden until the fence was erected, as there was no sense putting out a buffet for our ravenous deer population. So tomato and pepper plants went into the ground in mid October, and beet, spinach, and lettuce seeds at the same time. The hard freeze took the tomatoes and peppers (no surprise) and when I went out to transfer the dead plants to the compost pile, I was surprised to see how many peppers and tomatoes were maturing on the plants. Oh well, I knew it was a gamble.

As you can see, the seeds are doing quite well, as all of these varieties enjoy cooler weather. I am guessing that I will be able to grow these cool weather crops until about March, and then I will switch to those varieties that can handle the Texas heat.