Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Winter Gardening

It was a beautiful, sun-shiney day, and much warmer than it has been lately.  I think it may have even gone above 0°C!  A perfect day to shovel my way to the greenhouses.

Leaving the sides open this fall hasn't led to any build up of snow inside, so after knocking the snow off the roof, I shovelled it in.  
Now, logically, the snow surrounding the greenhouse should melt into the greenhouse, so I'm not sure how much, if any difference this is going to make.  The snow has to come off the roofs a few times each year anyway though- it gets too heavy to leave it- so it's not that much more effort to shovel it inside.

I had an uh-oh moment while shovelling the east side though.  The tops of the parsnips are peaking through the snow, still covered with seed.  I definitely need to relocate the parsnips before they end up inside the greenhouse!

It was good to get out and enjoy some fresh air that didn't feel like it was freezing my lungs on contact too!  This warm spell is forecast to last all week, with maybe even some rain on Saturday.  I might get a few other outside chores done that I've been putting off.

3 comments:

  1. That picture is just beautiful. You certainly have beautiful snow scenery.

    Tonight the low will be 50 F and into high 60 F and up to low 70s F (21 C). My spring bulbs have been putting out greenery since Christmas. It looks like another warm winter.

    Why are you shoveling snow into the greenhouse?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. Those would be springlike temps for sure.

      Last year greenhouse #1 (in it's second year) was ridiculously dry, and it didn't seem to matter how much I watered it, it kept drying right back out.

      Another blogger who greenhouse gardens mentioned that watering never gives back to the soil the way rain and snow do, so she uncovers her greenhouse through the winter.

      I left the sides open- the way it's built removing the roof would ruin the plastic- in hopes that the snow and rain would blow in. That's only worked on the edges. So I shovelled snow into the centre, covering the ground. I don't know if it will make a difference, but I figure it's worth a shot.

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  2. Snow and rain bring nitrogen from the sky and it is then incorporated into the soil. I'm sure there are other nutrients it brings along also.

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