Not unlike yourselves our seedlings hunkered down for this weather abnormality brought to us by a polar vortex.
Our small team of farm hands finished packing last week’s order of Farm Boxes and Mother’s Day bundles to head back into the field to tuck the crops in. It was late Friday morning when we started to cover the peas and greens using a plastic covering.
We had hoped to build a hoop house covering to plant our tomatoes early this season but with this cold weather the plastic covering had to be repurposed to save some rows of the crops. This thin plastic has holes to let the moisture in (and out) and the plants breathe under regular conditions. It was not made to keep the snow and frost out and our fingers are crossed our attempts will prove to be successful. As of Monday morning, no crops have been lost.
The rest of the seedlings are happily growing in the greenhouse. But again a thin layer of transparent plastic that covers the wood structure is no barrier for the freezing cold.
When the temperature dips we have to fire on the propane heaters to keep the structure warm. Some days the greenhouse is the best refuge from the cold blowing winds we experience on our farm. At the time of taking these pictures it was 4° C outside and a beautiful tropical 26° C inside the greenhouse. I have to admit it was a close as one could come to a tropical holiday during these times of staying at home. The air was humid, and the warmth and smell of fresh greens filled my soul.
Managing this cold snap is just one of the many ways farmers demonstrate their resilient adaptable nature. As eternal optimist we are hopeful for beautiful warm weather.
We even have a smoke detector in the greenhouse, just in case!