Garlic bed still frozen

[gardenvt]

Here we are with these beautiful record breaking temps and the ground is just beginning to thaw. We had very little snow this season - 37 inches - so the frost went deep.

I noticed that most of the raised beds are thawing to as much as 6 while the garlic bed, mulched with straw, still has a bit of ice on top of the soil. It is really tempting to remove the straw but I am thinking that it would be better to let the garlic have a slower thaw.

They say the weather will be warmer than usual for the next two weeks.

Anyone else having this issue?

[nedwina]

Here we are with these beautiful record breaking temps and the ground is just beginning to thaw. We had very little snow this season - 37 inches - so the frost went deep.

I noticed that most of the raised beds are thawing to as much as 6 while the garlic bed, mulched with straw, still has a bit of ice on top of the soil. It is really tempting to remove the straw but I am thinking that it would be better to let the garlic have a slower thaw.

They say the weather will be warmer than usual for the next two weeks.

Anyone else having this issue?

Mine are just poking up & taking off now. But we've had an incredibly mild winter here in upper/central CT, and the soil hardly froze.

I go down the row and fluff or push away the mulch a bit so the shoots can come up through it without bending, but that's about it. (I have heavy shredded leaves on them.) Once your ice is gone, the shoots should be able to poke up on their own ok through your straw, maybe with a little help in spots where it's heavy. So I'd say leave it alone.

[stella1751]

My garlic bed is still frozen, too, GardenVT. However, the wind blew off all the mulch a long time ago, and I see the soil has begun to thaw. I would recommend removing the mulch. You can always put it back on once they have sprouted.

[dustyrivergardens]

I think you should leave the mulch in until you harvest your garlic. not only does it suppress weeds it holds moisture in...

[gardenvt]

Mother nature has taken care of the issue for me. I lifted some of the straw and noticed the soil is thawing and garlic is beginning to come up. I "fluffed" the straw where it was heaviest so the garlic can come through easily.

By the time the jet stream gets back into a normal pattern, the low temps will be high enough not to worry about it being too cold. Very strange warm temps.