Brrrr

[jal_ut]

12 degrees F, clear skies and sunny. Nothing growing but ice. Maybe I should find a 6 inch pot and plant one seed in it just to have something growing? I am not one to grow indoors, but might allow one six inch pot?

[imafan26]

12 degrees and sunny BRRR indeed. You could probably grow an icicle.

[PaulF]

This morning at 8 a.m. we had -15 F. with a -31 F wind chill. By 11:30 we are at 1 degree above zero F. I am not going out today.

[ID jit]

If you are doing one seed in one 6' pot, 1 radish might be interesting.

Couple of days ago it was near zero with a sub zero windchill at times, Today was a light rain day in the high 50's. Tomorrow it is suppose to be near zero again for a while. Got to love New England Weather!

[Allyn]

I had to run the air conditioner yesterday. I should probably stay out of these kinds of threads, huh.

[applestar]

Bah!

...I vote 1 dwarf pea in the 6 inch pot for jal_ut.

[jal_ut]

9:15 AM and sunny. Its 13 degrees F. I went out long enough to put some feed on the bird feeder, now I watch birds and play on the internet.

[jal_ut]

[jal_ut]

When the magpie comes to visit, everyone else leaves.

[jal_ut]

"...I vote 1 dwarf pea in the 6 inch pot for jal_ut. "

A pea might work. I tried a squash seed one time. It didn't do well indoors.
Hmmmm, can't even find a 6 inch pot. How about a gallon sized ice cream bucket?

[lakngulf]

I vote for radish. It was 34 here this morning with wind all day, so was COLD to us. I worked on tractor awhile but glad to be inside by the heater now.
My Mom loves radishes, so I picked up some seed today at Lowes and planted some in my greenhouse. I have them and a couple other things under grow lights, but no extra heat to the greenhouse yet.

[jal_ut]

My wife had the lil garden tractor out to pull the grand kids around on their sleds in the snow.
Right now at sundown its 21 degs F outside. My garden plot has about 4 inches of snow on it.
OK, the wife found a pot for me I can use. It was outside and had some soil in it. Frozen solid.
Brought it in and will plant tomorrow after it is thawed out. I am thinking I will plant one pea seed and 4 or 5 radish seeds.

[digitS']

Yesterday, DW was watching a YouTube video on a very nice garden through the early part of its season.

She was impressed by the nice growth and care. However, she began laughing at how often the person narrating said, "my." Everything mentioned was my tomatoes, my lettuce, my radish, my onions. I think it just showed how completely the gardener was focusing on everything as food!

If I was watching those seeds sprout and grow in that pot, the moment there seemed to be any faltering of growth - I would pull them all and put them in a stir-fry!

• Pea vines taste like ... peas!
  Radish can be cut up and used whole.

If my late-sown snow peas are running out of growing season in the fall, I often begin harvesting about 8" from the end of the vines. Tiny pods are fine and flowers especially indicate that the pea tendrils will be nice and tender.

I used to save seed from a Russian white radish which was somewhat unusual in that its radish leaves didn't have those tiny hairs. After using this variety, chopped and in stir-fries for several years, I tried other radish varieties. Those tiny hairs disappear during cooking! It made little difference which radish variety I used. And, they were all very good in stir-fries!

Steve

[ID jit]

Am still liking the one radish idea.... you could wrap a little blanket around the pot and sort of have your own version of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

[jal_ut]

Radish if planted early outdoors (in this area) will make a few nice leaves then a nice root. It is the root I am after not the top growth. Radish planted later, say late June or first of July will usually come up and send up a seed stalk and flower and make seed. They seldom make a nice edible root. Sometimes I have had good fall radishes. Since one never knows just when we will get a killing frost, it is hit and miss.

Oh, there are quite a lot of radish varieties including some white icicle types. Try a few varieties.

[jal_ut]

Re the pot: I went out and found my seed box where I keep seeds that didn't get planted yet, and searched through it. What? No radish seed? Oh well, I planted 4 pea seeds and 7 or 8 spinach seeds. We will see........

[Taiji]

Re the pot: I went out and found my seed box where I keep seeds that didn't get planted yet, and searched through it. What? No radish seed? Oh well, I planted 4 pea seeds and 7 or 8 spinach seeds. We will see........

That's great! It gives me an idea. Planted some lettuce and collards a few days ago to go into a south facing window box later. I wonder if one pea plant will get peas? Does it need another plant to keep it company?

Coldest here so far this season has been 16 degrees. Gotta get down to at least 10 to officially remain in zone 7b. Oh well, still have a couple of months.

[jal_ut]

"I wonder if one pea plant will get peas? Does it need another plant to keep it company? "

Seems to me that peas are self fertile. All they need for pollination is a little shake.

[jal_ut]

The pea seed came up and has grown to about 4 inches tall. It looks pretty spindly. The Spinach has not shown its face yet.

[jal_ut]

Wow! another 8 inches of snow on the sidewalks this morning. Got me huffin and puffin to remove it. Still need to go start the tractor and move the snow off the driveway. Maybe I will wait a while? Its still snowing. Gee, just the 4th of January and I am ready for spring already.

[jal_ut]

It keeps snowing. Now we have about 30 inches out on the garden. We got around 8 inches last night and I went out to start the tractor to move it off the drive and the tractor won't start. Minus 7 degrees F makes it balky. I will have to get the propane heater going to heat it up. Out of propane in the tank. Always something..............

[pomerinke]

Sounds like you're having quite the time out there. I've certainly missed the snow! I would love to be back in the states for a good winter storm.

If you don't mind me asking, where about in Utah? My dad and my uncle grew up there with some family in Milford and Minersville.

[jal_ut]

I am in Paradise, that is ten miles South of Logan. It is a small town. I have a 2 acre lot on the East edge of town, behind me is fields and mountains. I am retired. I keep bees and grow a big garden for something to keep me occupied. Sell at a Farmer's Market in summer. My lot is right at 5000 ft elevation.

[jal_ut]

Those humps are the patio tables.

[Gary350]

19 degrees and snow today. My broccoli, kale, peas, parsley are still doing good. There is a lot of activity to our bird feeder.

[jal_ut]

"There is a lot of activity to our bird feeder. "

Nice. Here the birds are way down in numbers. I usually have around 30 Juncos, this season only 3 or 4. The House Finches and English Sparrows are lacking. I can't imagine unless some farmer put out poison grain to get rid of the Starlings.

[pomerinke]

You're quite a bit further north than where my dad lived. I think my cousin lives in Salt Lake now, but I don't usually keep in touch with him.

I'll have to take a picture of the ocean later today and share with everyone. Maybe it'll warm you guys up.

It hasn't been below 60 at night except for one week in December. Highs are around 75-80, and by about February, They'll be having the Cherry Blossom festivals popping up. The Sakura blossom when the warm air makes its way up the western pacific. It's pretty fun to watch the news follow the trees blossoming all the way up Japan. Starting in Okinawa and all the way up north.

I'm expecting to be able to put my plants out with the blossoms in February.

[digitS']

After another round of overnights in the single digitS', we are supposed to have warming with a loss of our blue, daytime sky as snow clouds move in this afternoon ..!

Some television weather people are hyping the chance of rain. This could actually be a disaster since there is already nearly a foot of snow on the ground and that ground has been frozen since November! The weather station at my closest location is saying 33°f for an hour or two tomorrow. My guess is that if some of what falls from those clouds after 12 hours of snowflakes becomes rain, it will mostly vanish in the snow. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.

I guess that I will drag out the ladder and the roof rake for the deck roof, clear some snow away from the front porch roof, and see if I can move some snow off the structures. It may not be too tuff; the snow falling has been powder these last several weeks. Dry and cold -- trusting that there isn't too much of an ice dam!

: (single) digitS', on both sides of 0°f

[jal_ut]

Minus 4 degs F here this morning. Clear skies, 30 inches of snow on the ground. It is pretty, but not something I want to be out in. Guess I will take the birds some seed and come play on the computer.

[jal_ut]

I put some seed on the bird feeder and immediately about 150 of those Eurasian Doves come and take it over. Whoever let those things loose on this continent sure did a dis-service to the Native birds.

[applestar]

It's cold and snowy here as well but nothing like yours -- 18°F with feels like of 10° and steady tiny flakes accumulating and sticking to the patchy layer from yesterday's wet sticky snow. Street was cleared yesterday but with the freezing temp, the snow is now solidly covering over what was probably slick surface. One of those very quiet kind of days.

[Taiji]

Those humps are the patio tables.

Always nice to see a snowpack like that here in the Southwest. I don't really know the drainage patterns all that well, but I'm hoping the spring thaw will send some of that meltwater down this way!

We had an 8 incher so far this year but it's all gone now.

[gumbo2176]

Well, New Orleans got it's first taste of real winter weather last nigh and again tonight when it hit 28 for a low and will be below freezing again tonight. The wife and I brought in all the potted plants we have on the 2 porches and down on a patio area downstairs. All in all, more than 50 potted plants and some of them were a real chore to move with huge pots and big plants in them.

My beautiful poinsettia suffered the most. It is in the ground in the front yard, is over 5 ft. tall and between 6-7 feet across. Most of it is freeze damaged as far as foliage and it is only a matter of time to see how much the cold damaged the branches. .

[applestar]

Wow thats a bummer, gumbo.

[jal_ut]

"Always nice to see a snowpack like that here in the Southwest. I don't really know the drainage patterns all that well, but I'm hoping the spring thaw will send some of that meltwater down this way! "

All of the drainage from this area and much of Northern Utah ends up in The Great Salt Lake.

[imafan26]

It is 57 degrees right now. Not a minus like some of you have, but my winter clothes is an umbrella, jacket and sweats and my house is designed to leak so the only heat comes from my heating pad. I am feeling very cold right now.

[jal_ut]

Jan 8, 27 degrees F, 3 inches fresh snow. Went out and started my tractor to move snow. The snow is so deep here I can't even drive the tractor through it where it hasn't been previously cleared.

[digitS']

It is 57 degrees right now. Not a minus like some of you have, but my winter clothes is an umbrella, jacket and sweats and my house is designed to leak so the only heat comes from my heating pad. I am feeling very cold right now.

This 115 year old house is considered "energy efficient" by the local utility company. We had the walls and floor insulated - they weren't - and insulation moved in above the ceiling. All but one window was replaced and exterior siding was installed. More could be done. I'd really like to replace doors, inside and out.

The Portland Oregon area is having an ice-storm today. "We are now climbing past 0.2" of ice accumulation here in NE PDX." @NWSPortland

At about 300+ crow flying miles NE and nearly 2,000 feet higher in elevation, we should be far enough away to dodge the rain. At least, I'm sure hoping so !

Steve
snowing hard and in the 20's

[jal_ut]

Rain on top of snow, now that ought to get the water flowing? I don't think the ground is frozen under that thick snow cover we had so perhaps it can go in the ground and not run off too bad?

[gumbo2176]

Wow thats a bummer, gumbo.

It's not nice. I got a chance to look at the plant real good and it is pretty much knocked down, but not out. I'll have to cut about 3+ ft. off of the height of the plant and that will really take a toll on the diameter, but I think it still has good growth about 2 ft. up from the ground. There's only about 2 or 3 stems that still have good foliage and they were deep inside the plant.

Such is life, and it's not the first time this has happened, so I know it can come back.