I think the wooden sticks must absorb sunshine well, and then radiate its heat, because you can see how the snow has melted more quickly around the sticks than elsewhere.
I have also noticed that the snow in flowerpots tends to melt from the outer edge towards the middle - presumably because the outside is being exposed to some slightly warmer air. This pot has some Wild Garlic in it, brought back last year from my MIL's house. I hope it has survived all right.
This potted Aquilegia has done the same:
Take a close look at the tiny leaves sticking up through the melting snow:
I still have a few Radicchio left. They are pretty hardy, and seem to have emerged from the snow with little more damage than a few browned outer leaves.
Are you itching to get on an sow something, like I am? I know our Winter is not severe by many peoples' standards, but it still makes you appreciate Spring when it finally arrives! I'm already reading on lots of blogs about people sowing chilli seeds and tomato seeds. I know these plants benefit from a long growing season, but I'm not going to be tempted to sow mine just yet. They would only end up going leggy for want of light. If you want to sow seeds in January / February you really need some sort of grow-light arrangement, which I don't have at present (though I have put one on my Wishlist, since my birthday is coming up soon...)
Our snow has completely vanished now, though the landscape is completely sodden. A river seems to have sprung from nowhere to run down the fields on the opposite side of the valley, something I've never seen there before.
ReplyDeleteThe first snow to melt here was the area beneath our garden table, revealing a rather startling shock of green grass in a world of white. Most odd.
Definitely getting a little impatient now for longer days, and sowing and growing.
We had a huge snowfall on Friday night in to Saturday morning. The car had to be dug out and all the neighbours were out clearing the snow on the road as cars couldn't get down it. I've never seen such a fast thaw though, we had torrential rain in to Sunday morning which cleared the snow completely. I'm itching to get on with some sowing, and really need to start my onions off. I'm having a go at growing from seed again this year, though I'll get some sets in too, just to be on the safe side. Your aquilegia reminds me of rhubarb.
ReplyDeleteHave you still some snow? - Ours didn't hang around and wasn't much anyway. Amazing really as we are only a few miles south of Jo.
ReplyDeleteWe got snow too that is going to all melt tomorrow. But not slowly like yours. We will get some close to record temps and rain. That ought to wash everything away.
ReplyDeleteAll gone here too and hopefully they'll be no more. What's left of the crops are OK but the mesh tunnels will need repairing. May get some chillies going soon, and the only things growing at the moment are shallots and broad beans in the greenhouse.
ReplyDeleteI found your wonderful blog while searching for other garden/ food blogs. You would be surprised how little I could actually find that was worth subing to.
ReplyDeleteI'm located here in Coastal Georgia (US) and have only a handful of blogs I enjoy reading, and your one :)
Here is my week 4 update on our new garden of 2013.
http://bakinginsunshine.blogspot.com/2013/01/week-4-garden-tour.html
I hope you take a look around.
Ours has disappeared too Mark....LOL ;D
ReplyDeleteI've just caught sight of your weather station and the rain is coming across the screen! Yikes that's some rain!
We haven't had any substancial rain since well before Christmas...only a few spits and spots so things are beginning to look rather brown at the moment.
Although having said that in Queensland the floods are horrendous!
What a difference a state makes!
I can imagine you're itching to get back outside to attend to everything.
Have a great week and hopefully some more sunshine ;D
I have never known snow disappear as fast as ours did - literally overnight - and the temp. today was 12 deg. talk about one extreme to the other. I am hoping to plant onions in the greenhouse this weekend as well as my first batch of tomatoes and peppers. At last we can get things moving.
ReplyDeleteNo snow here... first bitter cold - which I fortunately missed. Now 5+ cm rain, and more cold to follow. Crazy winter!
ReplyDeleteHi Mark - hopped over here from Bren's seeing you were asking her about Grow lights. I need to investigate them too as I'm planning on writing about them as part of my 52 Week Salad Challenge. BTW we're sowing and growing at the moment - lots of sprouted seeds, microgreens and pea shoots, so it is possible to grow something at this time of the year thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteI see you've written plenty about salad this month - do you mind if I put the links on my monthly Salad Days round up for January? I particularly like the look of that lentil salad. Yum.
Hi VP; I'm looking forward to reading your review of grow-lights. This is an area I have meaning to explore for some considerable while. I'd be delighted if you would include links on your site to any of my posts that you consider appropriate - the more the merrier, I say!
DeleteI have have put some stupidly hot chilli pepper seeds in the propagator. Only one variety as they have a long growing season. The rest will be sown later on next month.
ReplyDelete