Backyard Garden Plot Pictures – Week 49 of 52
Sometimes it’s so cold, just thinking about walking outside to take a few photos of your garden will send a shiver down your spine. I went outside over an hour ago to take these photos and I am still cold! And my house is 70 degrees inside and we have a fire going.
Holy crackers. Seattle never gets this cold. Not for this long, not without some sort of freezing rain or snow. I honestly don’t know how people in places like Minnesota, or Wyoming, or the beautiful state of Maine endure such cold temperatures for months on end. As much as I think I could hack living in s place like Maine, I don’t think I could.
Everything in the garden is frozen solid. Plants, leaves, mounds of dirt. All frozen. 
The lettuce we have had growing in the greenhouse even threw in the towel. {Will lettuce come back to life after a hard frost?
It’s suppose to hit a low of 17 degrees tonight and snow is in the forecast for Monday. {Yay, I LOVE SNOW!}
But as far as me and my garden tools are concerned, we are officially on winter break. At least until the ground thaws out enough to turn over some dirt. 
What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods? If it’s above 50 degrees, can I come for a visit?
Pleeeeease? 🙂
~Mavis
This years garden is being sponsored by the awesome folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2013 Garden Seed Catalog HERE, or visit my online boyfriend Ryan’s blog HERE.
Up for a tour? Read about our behind the scenes tour of Botanical Interests Seed Company.
Jezibels says
Well my garden froze about 2 weeks ago, here in Chicago – Zone 5 we were hit very early with frost at about mid Novemburr to which not much survived. Today I planned out my 2014 garden on paper while taking care of 3 sickies, it snowed and its still snowing its about 10 degrees and we only anticipate 1-3″ which is nothing. I too like you LOVE snow and always hope for bigtime-school closing type snows!
Jenn says
It is 80 degrees and sunny here in North Florida. We have the air conditioning on because of the humidity. I’m jealous about the possibility of snow. I’ve never seen it, or not at least where it sticks.
Kathy says
It’s a bit cold in NE Ohio right now, 27 degrees. And about to get colder. My mom became a snowbird this winter and is in Florida, giggling at us here at home.
Susan says
We woke up to 10 degrees this morning here in Camas,WA. It has been a frozen tundra for 4 days. I have been spending my days checking on my girls- thawing water,etc. They are NOT happy campers!
They have been staying “upstairs” most of the time. Today they are down and huddled together on one of their “downstairs” perches.
I have been covering the opening for the “upstairs” with the door we removed after they were old enough to be left alone at night. To keep the wind from blowing in there. Only at night.
Right now it is 25 degrees and sunny. The wind stopped blowing so it feels warmer. We have about 1/2 inch of snow on the ground.
Veronica Vatter says
Don’t give up on it yet, it can still bounce back. The younger leaves bounce back better.
Patty P says
I live in Central/Western NY just below Lake Ontario and we always get a fairly good winter. I was wondering how long my garden stuff would hold up…at this point everything has flopped except for the kale…of which I ate some last night. I’m going to try to grow lettuce in my basement using your hydroponic method you posted a while back….I just have to get it assembled and growing!
Jenny says
I don’t remember. Is this going to be Lucy’s first snow?
I am taking my dog to the mountains if and when it ever snows again here.
Take millions of pictures. (Dogs love snow.)
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes! We brought her home last February and it didn’t snow this year. It will be fun to see what shes does. 🙂
Ashley says
We hit 11 degrees today! Not bad considering we didn’t get above 0 yesterday…brrrrrr
Christy says
I was just telling my husband yesterday, “I am going to email Mavis Butterfield to see how her lettuce is in her greenhouse.” 🙂 You’ve answered my question! I live just down the street (Olympia) and this is the first year I’ve planted lettuce in the greenhouse over the winter. I had grand dreams of harvesting beautiful greens all winter…I need to change those dreams to buying greens at the grocery store. Our greenhouse isn’t from a kit so I thought maybe it isn’t insulated enough, but maybe greenhouse just aren’t meant to withstand these types of temperatures without a form of heat?
ChrisM. says
23 degrees in SW Michigan. We live in a town on Lake Michigan. The lake keeps us slightly warmer in the winter and slightly cooler in the summer so we are zone 6 while the rest of the state is zone 5. Although we’ve seen negative temperatures many winters! We get a lot of Lake-effect snow here. 17 inches a few weeks ago, which is the earliest I can remember such a huge amount of snow. Good thing the snow blower was working!
Elaina says
I just moved to Charleston SC, from Issaquah Wa… As a Washington native this is my first December away and to tell you the truth, it’s weird. I keep waking up to temps in the 70’s etc…in December. It is a new blessing but there are several things I do miss about my old hometown … I had a awesome 15 year old garden and had blood sweat and tears into it.. I feel like it was finally hitting it’s stride, lol… if that is ever true for a gardener.. now I am wondering about this new territory. They have a working plantation down the road and I joined the CSA to get my fix, since I have no garden. I hope everyone is staying warm and baking goodies 🙂
stacy says
I’m freezing! Its not usually so cold here at this time either (northern California). We’ve had below freezing every night for three days…ice isnt melting during the day. Have to break ice each morning on the animals water bowls. Brrrr!
Jude says
80 degrees and muggy. Mosquitos and fire ants bit me up all day while I weeded the garden. Although, it’s nice to still be growing tomatoes in December. I’ve only seen snow once. It was pretty, but I’ll take the fire ants any day over cold weather. 🙂
Dorothy says
In December January and February night temperatures in a greenhouse can go below 0 and the plants will freeze. If you pick them frozen they turn into mush. If you wait for them to warm up in the sun your salad will taste even better. Do not water your plants during the coldest months because too much moisture in the plants’ cells will cause them to burst and they will not recover from the frost. Don’t water again until April. Dy
Dale Ann says
Yep…I’m the Minnesotan! :0)
There are times some of us in the family threaten to move because of the weather…like this past week…
Three days of snow left us with over 24 inches of snow ( even more farther north). Night before the low temp was -26 (yep…that was below zero). Last night it trumped that…-28 below zero!
But on some of the coldest nights we see some of the most beautiful Northern Lights…last night was one…gorgeous shimmering green ribbons from horizon to horizon! :0)
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh Dale Ann, I hope you have a wood stove or some sort or heat alternative in case the power goes out. That would be my biggest worry about living somewhere so cold.
Tasha K says
Yep, Montanan here, and we hit -23 (without the wind-chill) for at least the last 5 days. We finally got above zero (1degree) yesterday!
Dawn says
Sunny, So. Cal here…. but we are in the middle of some weird weather! It’s 40 degrees and the wind is kickin’ with 50 mph gusts, which is just cold and miserable! (for us)… I’ve had to cover my winter beds with tarps this whole week at night because we’ve gotten frost every night and I refuse to let it all die!!! Normally I would say, “Come to So. Cal”, but now I think you should go to Florida. Can I come too?
Carolyn says
I love you. That is all. I also live in Seattle and everything in my poor garden is frozen. Forecast says snow tomorrow – can we believe them?!
Gary Miller says
Mavis, Can’t see from the photos. How did your potato tower with straw do? Thinking of doing the same thing here. Please let me know. Here in CT, there is a slight snow (couple of inches) today, temperature currently 21. I put a sweater on over my T-shirt.