Are we "there" yet?

 

 

As I sit here dreading the arrival of yet another Arctic front, I'm skimming through old photos and posts from past winters. We've had our share of freak snow storms, a few ice storms and some late frosts. But it seems these deep freezes that last days on end, are somewhat newer to the N. Texas climate. 

  

 

When we first started out, I ordered plugs for many of our crops. We didn't have a dedicated place in which to start seeds, and especially warm season crops, as they need a warm, sunny/well lit, place. I would "bump" those plugs up into bigger pots and let them root in well, before planting them out in the field - after the risk cold had passed us by. I couldn't risk planting them too early, because it takes another 4-6 weeks to grow out and get new ones if I lost them to a frost. 

Once we built a little make shift "seed house", I used to begin starting my spring seeds as early as the last weekend of January. I used to plan around the annual TOFGA conference so I'd not be gone when they needed to be watered and monitored. 

 

But as our seasons seem to drag on and become more erratic, I've stopped daring ma Nature to be "normal" and have just adjusted the varieties of vegetables I plant instead. I don't rush to start seeds in January any more. I've never planted onion slips before February. 

In order to help compensate for later planting, I choose more heat tolerant tomatoes for my main crop. I don't get in a rush to start peppers, as they require pretty warm bottom heat - consistently - to get a good germination. And they yield  heavier in shorter days anyway, so we consider them more of a late summer crop. 

Plus, my seed/germination house is outside, and it was getting pretty expensive to keep the bed warm enough to germinate them. So we have learned to stop competing with the weather and just work with it. 

Once this latest blast blows out of here, I'll transplant the brassica seedlings in the high tunnel and drop a lightweight cloth over them - to help keep out the nibbling critters. The lettuce, beets, arugula and carrots are already planted, some doing better than others. We'll also direct sow some radishes. The turnips are growing outside and probably loving the cold snap, honestly. Depending on how the tender greens did, we may need to re-seed those and the kale. We did cover some of the still yielding fall crops - we'll find out in a few days if they made it. 

 

Fava beans, peas, more lettuce, more broccoli and fennel, dill, parsley and other cool weather loving crops will grow much easier than trying to force tropical crops like tomatoes to grow when it's barely above freezing and soil is cold. One thing members of Eden's CSA learn is to eat in season. 

I get it, some farmers are trying to beat the guy down the highway at market. And I've been known  to put in a "risk crop" just to see if we can get lucky and a few weeks of early maters for our spring shares before the lion's share in early summer. But when I worked retail, I often re-sold tomato starts to customers who jumped the gun and ended up losing everything they'd planted. 

Farmer Bev's seed company will have us testing several varieties this year as well. It's always a mystery! One year, she brought out boxes and boxes of seeds and let me dig through them! Boy, THAT was fun! 

I do love the heirlooms, and I still have some favorites I save seeds and plant from. But I also like to have a nice and healthy yield for my members. Using hybrids that are bred to sustain heat, defy disease and pests, and yield higher - help assure success. Farmer Bev's seed company, Texas Tested Seed & Plants, carries some of the most reliable varieties I grow. She specializes in varieties that tolerate the high heat and humidity of the South.  

So, while some days it feels like I should be doing something more - I go back to my list, check off a few INside things and wait for a warmer sunny day to get to those outside projects. I've learned not to rush any more. Maybe I'm slowing down, or maybe I'm just learning to savor moments and go with the flow. 

 

Weeks of days of long hours will be here soon enough and I'll be wishing for a break. So, this weekend, I think I'll pop some corn, bake some kale chips, make a hot cocoa and find a movie or two to watch in between tossing out more hay for the sheep and horses, and making sure no one has knocked over their water buckets. 

Bundle up if you have to go outside this weekend. They're promising a cold one! And let's hope winter's grip loosens in February, instead of tightens. We can always hope. Spring's gotta come eventually! 

Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Farmer Marie  

 

PS, if you'd like to join our CSA, we do have room for 2026! Sign up for our info email and watch for the enrollment letter!