Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Is it Spring Yet?

Oh my gosh what a winter we have been having here in the TX Hill Country. We had several days, in a row mind you, in Jan of 14 degrees during the day and 9 at night. I am so hoping for my fruit trees and bushes to have made it through those cold temps. I guess time will tell.
As I spoke about a while back on my square foot gardens and how I was going to plant all this great stuff for my winter garden. Hah! The winter garden is not much of a garden because if the constant cold and rain. The rain is fine and the raised beds shed that off, where before the veggies would be doing the back stroke to stay afloat. The cold has kept the ground to cold to get the seedling growing never mind making it possible for the seeds to germinate.
The broccoli plants I put in during the fall have taken giant steps backwards. Ok so I should be glad they are still alive. The beet seeds I planted germinated and then it got cold and are still sitting there with the two little leaves they get right after they germinate and pop up out of the ground. Is that depressing or what? But hey they are still alive even after all the wind and 9 degree nights. If it ever warms up they may just grow. Ok hope springs eternal. Theres that work spring again.
One thing I need to do this next week or so is get the fruit trees pruned. They will start flowering soon. I also plan to get my seeds started first part of March. Can't wait to try out that seed starting heat mat. Since the greenhouse isn't heated with a heat source other then my heat lamp which works when it isn't too too cold. I just could not subject those poor little seedlings to that cold. I have been wanting to start my seeds so now with the night temps warming it may be a good time to start.
I promise to get back and write more. Now that it looks like warmer weather is coming I will have more to write about and I will post some pictures of my garden boxes. Also I want to tell you about this cool talk I attended on Heirloom Tomatoes.
Happy planting.