Last night as I went to bed, snow was dusting in Waynesville. The temperatures were expected to go down to below freezing, so I was not sure what to expect when I awoke.
Much to our surprise we awoke to almost two inches of wet snow in the yard, garden and on the hoop house. There was plenty of good news:
- The roads were fine, and I made it to work on time.
- The hoop house withstood the heavy snow, followed by winds this morning in fine fashion.
- The lettuce plants that were covered by row covers seemed to make it fine.
- It seems that the greens and cole crops will survive the snow.
Hoophouse update:
I checked my indoor outdoor thermometer and had these statistics from 10/27 5 PM to 10/28 12:30 PM:
- Min. Outdoor temperature-30.1
- Max. Outdoor- 60.1
- Min. Indoor Temperature- 35.5
- Max. Indoor Temperature-66.1
At 12:30 PM today with few clouds, the temperature outside the greenhouse was 42 and inside it was 66 and climbing. I will check things after work to see how the temperatures fluctuated.
Last night the wind picked up in the neighborhood because the shingles were rattling. It sounds like an animal on the roof, but from experience, it is just the gusting of wind.
I figured i would awake to see plastic hanging in the trees and my hoophouse in shambles. I was pleasantly surprised. It was in one piece (figuratively speaking) and in good condition. I came home to check at lunch and found it in the same condition.
I put my inside/outside thermometer to work this afternoon and found that the hoop house, without end walls attached, raises the air temperature inside about 15-20 degrees. The outside air temperature was about 42 this afternoon (chilly by my standards) and the air in the green house was 62 degrees in a bright sun, and 57 degrees with a little overcast. I will be able to check maximum/minimum temperatures as well.
Tonight we are supposed to see the thermometer go down below 30–I am planning to get the ends on the house before dark. I’ll post some stats tomorrow.
They are calling for below freezing temperatures on Monday night here in Haywood Countty. So far, all of my green crops have survived the patchy frosts, but I am not sure how the garden will fare with some below 30 degree temperatures. I have been planning for a hoop house since August. The weather forecast made me get my act together this weekend.
I built A 10 X 12 ft. structure that is sturdy enough for a light wind (my garden has a stand of trees blocking winds on one side, a house on the other and my neighbor’s storage shed to the west. I may be in trouble if a storm comes from the east, but I have some wind protection from my storage shed.
Here is a basic list of materials:
2-2x6x10 ft lumber
2-2x8x12 ft lumber
5- 3/4 in PVC pipe (20 feet long)
20- 1 inch pipe hangers
Poly-sheeting (14 feet wide–40 linear feet makes the top and sides The total cost for the structure is a little over $100 dollars. It is not that pretty to look at, and I am not sure how it will do in a strong wind, but I can’t beat the price (based on all of the portable greenhouses and hoop houses that I have seen in catalogs).My plans are to keep something growing all winter under the plastic. I am convinced that I will be able to keep numerous greens and root crops going. I am not sure how seed will germinate, but it will never hurt to try a few things. It will be an experiment that I will share regularly in “The Garden Slug.”The garden has given us plenty to eat lately. We still have plenty of lettuce and more on the way. Still, we have a number of tomatoes that are ripening inside after the frost killed plants while we were out of town. Broccoli and cabbage have been on the table a couple of times this past week. Last night we had sweet potato soup from roasted potatoes picked about two weeks ago. Tonight we are eating some pintos and Swiss chard picked this afternoon. You can’t get dinner fresher or more tasty anywhere.
I’ll keep you posted on the hoop house, and if I can sweet talk the wife, I’ll see if she will share a few recipes with you.
Posted on The Garden Slug
Three days have gone by that I scraped a light frost off my windshield. That means three days that the garden has been nipped by a patchy frost.
I try and get a good look at the observed weather data at Ray’s Weather Center each day and also the forecast for the coming evening. (No shameless plugs here!)
Since my garden is just a few blocks from their weather station at Mast General Store in downtown, the weather doesn’t get much more accurate than that.
Many of my neighbors gave up their gardens back in September, mine is still producing with hardy vegetables and greens.
Here is a list of what’s growing in my garden: lettuce (numerous varieties), radishes, turnips, swiss chard, turnips, beets, kale, spinach, carrots, cabbage, broccoli
Vegetables planted recently for a spring harvest: white and purple onions, garlic
I have a couple of experiments going for further season extension that will be posted later.
What’s growing in your garden?
(Published on The Garden Slug)
