Thursday, March 2, 2017

Marrrrrch


An interesting day. Work at home, go out to fetch emergency mulch, lock myself out, hop the fence to break in again, cycle to a meeting at Brooklyn Bridge Park, cycle home, scurry into the garden with bags of just delivered mulch.

The weather swings wild this week. Midweek it was T-shirts and flip-flops for a walk in the hood on my usual errand route. Balmy. Then came a crazy wind. The next three nights we will dip well below freezing, and on Saturday it's supposed to be 16'F/-9'C.  So...those tender green shoots and buds appearing in the garden are going to be frost fried. Then there are the darn potatoes. I know. My fault. In an effort to stave of the worst I bought some bags of cedar mulch from our local hardware store and mounded it in rows over the most vulnerable plants. Interesting experiment. By the way, far right, above? The leaves of the saffron crocus whose flowers I harvested last November.


The tatsoi is beginning to look very good after overwintering but I decided to pick half of it. A subterranean line of purple potatoes is planted between the tatsoi rows.


The tatsoi needs a very good soaking to dislodge grit (and oyster shell) and then I think I will wilt it and serve it with nothing but a slosh of sweetened soy.


Guess what that is? Monkshood. It bloomed well into November. Very pretty spring foliage. They are all ready to rock and roll, so I dumped some mulch on them too. I'll scrape it all off early next week.

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6 comments:

  1. Better drain water from any outside water faucet you have! Best wishes from rainy Portland, Leslie

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    1. I just disconnected the hose to protect the connection. It has been this cold before, just not after such very mild weather, and at this very awkward budding time.

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  2. Same "down" here. Three weeks of way to warm (for plants, the humans loved it) and now two or three nights in the 20's. The Bradford pears (meh!) are in full bloom and already starting to leaf out. Hate to think what buds and fruits we are losing for the year. A very strange winter.

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  3. When did you put in your potatoes?

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    1. About 8 days ago. I usually plant in March...

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  4. It's amazing to me the difference a couple of hours' commute makes in climate. Are you zone 7 in Brooklyn? We are at the cold end of 5A so no tender annuals can go in until at least Memorial Day weekend. I usually start the season early in April with pansies, strawberries, lettuce, and I'll put the garlic in at that time since it doesn't overwinter well here.

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