As much as many of us dreaded the heaps of snow we had in January, I discovered a pleasant surprise a week or so ago on my south facing garden. The lettuce seeds that I planted last August, and which really didn’t amount to much by the cold weather, had survived under that nice thick blanket cover and were ready to hit the ground running as soon as the temperatures were over 45 degrees. After discovering the first plant, new ones have emerged over the last week. I should be able to make a nice salad by the time I would ordinarily be just planting!
Why is that? Well, the nice thick cover of snow that we had for a good six weeks or so kept the ground under it at a steady 32°, and kept things nestled underneath protected from the nasty, chilling winds and ice we had. I checked the USDA hardiness zone map to see what the equivalent zone would be with a low temperature of 32° - and was surprised to discover that it would be Zone 10a!...which is Naples, Florida and Victorville, CA according to the National Arboretum. So while the rest of us were dealing with the arctic wintry weather, our little plants under the snow were enjoying a nice respite in the southern weather!
Of course, other things that were above ground far enough to get pelted by the snow (but not covered) really took a beating. I’ve never so many broken limbs and split branches. Good business for tree care companies, I suppose…
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