First winter for me.

Well I hope everbody had a great christmas, happy new year to everyone.
This is my first winter as a gardener and of first my first as a polytunnel owner.

Been out to my tunnel to see how things have done during the hard frost and snow. Overall the garden looks untidy to me. A lot of plants have been hammered by the fierce cold. They look pretty miserable in general. Closer inspection of some are showing signs of life.

Just before the frosts I had planted two rows of cabbage, about 20 plants in all. The pigeons soon homed in on them so the gun came out. I couldn't watch them 24/7, so I used some round plastic conduit I had left from a job I did some time ago. The cabbages were planted in a new raised bed. I bent the conduit into arches and spaced them along the raised bed, then draped some netting over them. It has worked rather well. The cabbages are showing surprising growth.

The new veg patch we had almost finished digging has been broken down a lot by the frost. We had spread horse muck over what we had dug and it has blended in with the soil to the point that you can hardly see it.

All the fish in the new pond survived and the new plants. The big water lilly in the old pond is looking very sad and definately needs some attention. That pond has been left pretty much to its own devices for a number of years. I will be doing some research to find out whats best to do with it.

In the tunnel itself I was very surprised at how much has survived vituallu unscathed. I lost a tray of chrysanthemum cuttings and a one type of Primula has been slaughtered by the cold. Ever since I got them as plug plants they have never been as robust and healthy as the others. All the leaves have drooped badly and are mostly brown.

A few Delphiniums lost some leaves. All my Violas look very bright and healthy. The Aqueligas which I thought were a lot more fragile than some plants have done really well. I would say about 80% of the perennial plants have done ok and have signs of new life. So I still have about 600 of them. All of the bulbs I planted in pots and containers are throwing themselves out of the soil. I made up about half a dozen small hanging baskets before the frost and snow. Five Violas in each. All of them are in flower.

The broad beans in the raised veg bed in the tunnel, took quite a hammering, not sure if any will survive. All the lettuce are about twice the size they were. The cabbage and cauliflower are also doing well. Both rows of onions and garlic I planted in November are going strong. I sowed some spring onions and carrots in two deep square buckets as an experiment. They actually need thining out as they have done so well.

We have checked our chickens twice a day every day and made sure they have plenty to eat. Had to put fresh water out for them twice a day as it kept freezing up in the container. We put some extra bedding in the chicken house and they soon made themselves new beds. Still getting four big eggs every day. They seem quite happy and healthy.

So all in all, things are not as bad as I thought they would be. I did have one small success that I am really chuffed with. I had a Fuschia in a pot that was going pretty wild last year. I did some reading about taking cuttings and thought I would have a go myself. Took about 10 cuttings and put them in a jar of water on the windowsill. I have potted on four of them as they had really good roots. They have really done well on the windowsill. I now have another five that are due to be potted on. I don't know what type of Fuschia it was/is but it looked really nice in flower. Rather pleased with the result.

I now can't wait to be able to get out into the garden and get on with thejobs I have planned. I am determined to get the best out of the garden this year. Lots to do including landscaping the front garden.

Anybody else doing thier first winter as a gardener? Be interested to hear how you are getting on.

Regards

Chopper.

 

"Overall the garden looks untidy to me"

Yeah, I find that too. I ran the mower over the laws in a mild-snap [:D] just before Christmas (blades up high) which cleared up the few remaining leaves, and just "topped" the tufty bits of grass. People who came this morning remarked how smart it looked

"A lot of plants have been hammered by the fierce cold. They look pretty miserable in general. Closer inspection of some are showing signs of life."

Some may take until the middle of summer, or later, to show signs of life - so don't be hasty in writing anything off

"The new veg patch we had almost finished digging has been broken down a lot by the frost."

If will have done a lot of good If you want to make a seed bed anywhere try to preserve that frosted covering when you work up the seedbed in the Spring.

"The big water lilly in the old pond is looking very sad and definately needs some attention."

Ours disappear completely over the winter. Unless the water is very shallow I wouldn't worry about it.

"The broad beans in the raised veg bed in the tunnel, took quite a hammering, not sure if any will survive."

I've given up with Autumn planting, (I sow early in the New Year instead). And the ONLY variety I will trust to the cold, despite what the packets say to the contrary!!!!, is Aquadulce. I had The Sutton once (which people speak highly of) and even a mild winter decimated that.

"We put some extra bedding in the chicken house and they soon made themselves new beds."

We put a couple of blankets over the Coup in cold weather ... dunno if that helps or not, the Chickens seem perfectly happy regardless of the weather!

"Still getting four big eggs every day."

I wish we got eggs in the Winter. What breed are yours?

Congratulations with all the things that have gone well. :thumb: and glad you are inspired by it all

 

Chopper you have been so busy and thankyou i so enjoyed reading your post.

Yes after this long winter we will be wanting to see what has survived this cold winter.

Can we see photos of your tunnel?

I am just going to see if greenhouse doors are unfrozen yet.

 

"I am just going to see if greenhouse doors are unfrozen yet."

Mine were (first time for a while) on New Years Day - Max/Min thermometer inside the greenhouse was -6C (and I didn't think we had had it cold here, relative to rest of country))

(Local weather station shows -9C and -10C on 19th and 20th ... so I guess it was fairly cold!)

 

First time in weeks since manage to get into greenhouse looks like have lost all mu fuchsia cuttings and I have it bubblerapped adn a frost heater.

But on plus my penstum cuttings i got from amember here have survived the winter so far.

So I am thrilled.

But too cold to hang about in greenhouse.

se

 

I am just going to see if greenhouse doors are unfrozen yet.[/quote]


Hi, Have the same trouble, as mine is an Alu GH,

I pour salt in the lower channel, it melts in a few minutes, also I pour it in to stop it freezing in the first place!

:gnthb:

 

Your First season will be a learning curve young skywalker :wink:

Garden jedi you seek, garden jedi you have found :D