December 7, 2011
The thermometer in my vegetable garden registered a low of 28 degrees last night and 27 the night before. I’m expecting another dip into the 20’s tonight.
The vegetable garden is the lowest and coolest spot on our property. The cold air sinks and fences and buildings protect the garden from wind, perfect conditions for frost. A nice micro-climate which adds chill hours the rhubarb, apricot and apple trees appreciate.
I’ve never had to cover my tender crops in twenty years of gardening two blocks from the ocean. Last night I watered the vegetable garden like a citrus rancher might do when a freeze is expected. I left the broccoli, carrots, radishes, peas and sweet peas to fend for themselves. I remember the early spring gardens touched by frost in New England.
Then I covered the lettuce with a sheet and the radicchio and beets with old row cover. When I uncovered the garden this morning the sheet was stiff with a thin sheet of ice. Lettuce and other greens survive to delight us with more winter salads, lately a daily delight.
