The Garden and The Never-ending Winter

As most of you are aware, we have a very large garden prepped and planned for this growing season. The preparations began last fall with the razing of the shrubs and grass that had taken over the old garden site. Then we tilled and "weeded" the paths (which consisted of hacking out sections of sod where the paths used to be, shaking out the pea-gravel and discarding the grass and roots). We weeded the rhubarb and asparagus beds, which are perennials so we couldn't till there, and divided one of the largest asparagus crowns. There were also two raised boxes from years past that we weeded and made ready for the earliest of spring seeds to be planted.  Other than the amazing compost bin Chris built, that was about all we got to in the garden last fall before the snow and cold came, but it felt like a good start.

Our first major snowfall came on my birthday - November 13th. We got about 5-6 inches - a beautiful first snow, covering the brown earth in pure white. The next few months little thought was given to the garden, but by the times the holiday activities were coming to a close, my attention was lured back to the fertile patch of land, sleeping under the blanket of snow.

For Christmas I received a very nice garden hoe from my in-laws, which whetted my appetite considerably. I was also given the book "Guide to Wisconsin Vegetable Gardening" and my sister-in-law Trish recommended "Square Foot Gardening," which I checked out from the library. For the next several weeks I poured over both books, planning the garden space, making a list of the types and varieties of seeds to buy, figuring out what seeds could be started inside and when they should be planted - basically dreaming of all things green and growing while we waited for the cold and snow to pass.

As is typical in NW Wisconsin, we had a slight "warm" spell in early January, known as the "January thaw." We had some melting, even a day of rain, but the thaw didn't last long. By the end of January we were back into the negatives, and the biting cold persisted through February and into March. Along with the cold came copious amounts of snow. It was one of the snowiest winters on record for the Twin Cities, which means it was for Magdalen Farm too.

However, undaunted by the weather, I ordered seeds in late January. Our friends Andy and Amanda were kind enough to organize a bulk order with some of their friends who are real farmers. We ordered from Seed Savers Exchange and Johnny's Selected Seeds. Waiting for the seeds, I was like a kid before Christmas.

The seeds finally arrived!

Seed packets sealed in jars for storage

When the seeds finally arrived it seemed like a blow had been delt to the dark, cold winter. In early March I started onions and leeks from seed in the basement under grow lights. When the wispy seedlings emerged, I was certain that the death-grip of winter was surly loosening. On March 20th cabbage and kale were started indoors, and as the fuzzy leaves opened I knew winter was in its last pathetic gasps.

Leeks, kale and cabbage under grow-lights

Kale and Cabbage

By late March the huge piles of snow were finally melted, though temperatures were still hovering around freezing. In early April we took a trip to La Crosse and Chicago and while we were gone spring sprung at the farm. I couldn't wait to get back and start digging and planting in the garden. On April 6th I planted peas, beets, lettuce and carrots in one of the prepared beds and covered it with an old window, thus protecting the bed from frost and helping heat the soil by trapping the suns rays under the glass. I also started some of the "warm-weather" plants inside - tomatoes and pumpkins - and started hardening-off the onions.

Three large pumpkin plants and several tomatoes

Alas, the warm weather was just a teaser.  For the next 2 weeks winter seemed very much alive. The sky continued to spit snow and sleet, the sun refused to shine and temperatures remained in the 30's-40's. An occasional day of 50 or 60 degree weather would burst forth, only to be consumed by snow and frigid temps. Yesterday, April 27th, big, soft snowflakes flew from the sky. And this morning, April 28th, when we peeked outside, wet snow covered the ground! It certainly makes it hard to believe that warm, sunny weather even exists this far north.

Needless to say the seeds I planted outside have not done very well. The carrots didn't sprout at all, and only 3 peas are up. The beets and lettuce are more cold hardy and have sprouted and even grown well in the cooler weather. The plants in the basement are doing well, although a few of them are getting pretty big and are ready for transplanting.

I read that this spring has had average temperatures, but it's been unusually wet and overcast, which means the soil has not had a chance to dry, which in turn has delayed tilling and planting.  Although the average date of planting corn and other crops has not passed yet, there is concern that the prolonged grasp of winter will delay the growing season.

But, hope springs eternal - tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60's and sunny and I'm ready to do some planting!