Difficult fall and winter in the deep south

b54red · February 1, 2021

This has been one of the most frustrating fall and winter seasons I have had in many years. We have had one mild freeze after another since fall and it isn't over yet. The weather forecasters have consistently missed the lows predicted almost every cold night this year by as much as 8 degrees some nights. This has resulted in a lot of damage from heavy frosts and freezes that were unexpected. Since Thanksgiving I have been covering my hoops every time the forecast is for 35 degrees or lower and it has resulted in saving some of my winter crops.

The frequent freezes and extreme swings in temperature has me cutting broccoli a month later than it should have produced and the same with cabbage and cauliflower. Amazingly one of the most inconsistent winter vegetables spinach has done fantastic during all of this weird weather while my most consistent winter grower Brussels's sprouts has grown so slow that I fear I will get little or no production from it this year for the first time in a decade. Carrots have germinated terribly in the ground this year so I have had to plant them six times in order to get the same amount of healthy plants that I generally get from just two small plantings. I had to pull a whole bed of broccoli because it headed when it was only eight inches tall giving me nickel to quarter sized heads this week. I am already replanting and started spring seeds this past week but they may be too late to use depending on how late a spring we have.

Oh well my tomatoes are starting to pop up in the greenhouse and my attention will be shifting to grafting in a few weeks and the excitement of another season of trying to grow more of those great tasting heirloom tomatoes along with all the other spring and summer tasty veggies.

Bill

February 1, 2021	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Difficult fall and winter in the deep south This has been one of the most frustrating fall and winter seasons I have had in many years. We have had one mild freeze after another since fall and it isn't over yet. The weather forecasters have consistently missed the lows predicted almost every cold night this year by as much as 8 degrees some nights. This has resulted in a lot of damage from heavy frosts and freezes that were unexpected. Since Thanksgiving I have been covering my hoops every time the forecast is for 35 degrees or lower and it has resulted in saving some of my winter crops. The frequent freezes and extreme swings in temperature has me cutting broccoli a month later than it should have produced and the same with cabbage and cauliflower. Amazingly one of the most inconsistent winter vegetables spinach has done fantastic during all of this weird weather while my most consistent winter grower Brussels's sprouts has grown so slow that I fear I will get little or no production from it this year for the first time in a decade. Carrots have germinated terribly in the ground this year so I have had to plant them six times in order to get the same amount of healthy plants that I generally get from just two small plantings. I had to pull a whole bed of broccoli because it headed when it was only eight inches tall giving me nickel to quarter sized heads this week. I am already replanting and started spring seeds this past week but they may be too late to use depending on how late a spring we have. Oh well my tomatoes are starting to pop up in the greenhouse and my attention will be shifting to grafting in a few weeks and the excitement of another season of trying to grow more of those great tasting heirloom tomatoes along with all the other spring and summer tasty veggies. Bill