Mightier Than Winter

I went outside to walk around my backyard this morning and there in my raised beds, my kale was still growing and producing! Now, we have had day after day of temperatures in the low 20's, we have had sleet and snow. Everything was frozen! I looked at it one day after a heavy snow and it was all crushed under the snow and I was sure that was the end. But not so! I picked a large handful of new leaves of kale and even swiss chard this morning.

Then I wandered over to the other bed and my broccoli is still producing broccoli. Isn't today December 16th?

This has stirred up some thoughts in my early morning brain. After I finish with all my changes to my back yard next spring, I should create a special raised bed up by my patio where I grow some hardy vegetables and even protect them in the early winter with a small hoop greenhouse.

I would imagine that I could plant all the early spring vegetables like sugar snap peas, onions, broccoli, swiss chard, kale, lettuce and other greens. Which also means that I should be able to plant these same vegetables very early in the spring. I saw where Gardengirl (on Youtube.com gardengirltv has lots of info) covers her beds with black plastic to warm the soil before planting. So I may add compost to one of my beds, put black plastic down for a couple of weeks and then build the hoop house and plant! Sounds like a plan to me!

Last year, I started my plants indoors late. They still did well when planted outside, but could have done better if I had used the hoop house more and planted inside earlier. So this year, I am vowing to correct those mistakes and do it all right!