| Mid January Greetings!
No complaints from this gardener about a relatively mild winter, so far. Sorry if you’re in one of the midwestern or northeastern hard hit zones! But then we know you’re a hardy bunch and used to it! 💪🏼😎
For us, even while enjoying the mild winter thus far, there’s always a risk for plant damage. We’re seeing little leaves popping out on our shrubs and sizable swelling of the Star Magnolia buds (Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’). Daffodil shoots have also appeared.
Your Hardiness Zone Minus 1
Being in Hardiness Zone 7A, our region is rated as the average coldest annual temperature at 0 TO 5℉. In reality, the cold temps can dip below the average just as often as years when the winter temps are above the average.
This is why we encourage folks to lower their Hardiness Zone by at least one level. That puts us in Zone 6A (-10 to -5℉). Also, remember that the Hardiness Zone Map offers no guidance as to the timing or severity of the first and last frost/freezes.
We discovered a great resource that can help determine these events for your locale, or at least fairly close to your vicinity. They also inform on how to take extra measures to protect plants through the winter.
The information cited above concerns risk management. Risk management pertains to your garden planning and preparation. Once you have a basic idea of your locale’s weather situation, the smarter you’ll be about starting transplants, what and when to set them out, when to get seeds planted, etc.
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Garden Planning
Our article, Garden Planning Guides, Books, Garden Apps and Video Tutorial , should be quite helpful in this regard.
We’re thoroughly enjoying the microgreens we covered last week. We’re putting those rich “vitamins” on and in everything. The spicy mix is a lot like adding a pepper seasoning for a pleasant flavor boost to just about anything savory.
A Winter Wrap
That’s our take on winter gardening (so far)... the winter cruciferous crops are doing well under row covers. We’re grateful we’re not in neighborhood with a restrictive Home Owner’s Association (HOA). This time of year it does look a bit like tent city in our garden, plus it's less camouflaged from he neighbors by the trees and shrubs through the winter landscape.
We hope all goes well with the rest of your January (AKA the ‘off-season’). Please, share via ‘Reply’, your comments, photos, tips about winter gardening and the planning preparations you’ve got underway.
All our BEST!
Coleman for the Aldersons & GardensAll
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