Resilience

If I were to sum up my gardening efforts for the past 2 years into one word, it would be: experimentation. Everyone you talk to has a completely different idea of how things "should" be done. I have decided over the years that what works great for one might not work for the next due to different location, but also because mentally we don't all process things the same. So, when someone tells me to do "this" in my yard or garden, if I don't interpret it properly, or my skills just don't fit that idea well, it still won't work for me. So, instead of doing much of anything suggested, I've been experimenting.

This year, my big experiment was with the winters in NC. We have notoriously mild winters these days, with only a few cold snaps here and there most years. So, I decided instead of a fall garden (let's be honest, I pretty much didn't have the time to get it started anyway), I'd run a winter garden. Yes, I got my plants in late. Yes, it's cold and the sun's rays are super far away. Whatever. Winter garden it is!

I knew there was a lot of gambling. Mild winter can mean many things, but would it be mild enough for my cold hardy veggies? 

Well, we were just struck with the giant snow storm of 2017. Just kidding. I think on many fronts it fell short of people's expectations, but we did receive a good 6+ inches of snow at our house. It took over 4 days to thaw off of my little garden plot out front. I impatiently awaited the results of how well my veggies would last without sun that many days, drenched in a heap of snow, and 2 nights with single digit temperatures.

Here we are. Resiliency. My lettuce and chard are both doing great, still kicking in the garden.

The point of all of this is: experiment in your garden, see what you can accomplish. Don't listen to other people's ideas of what you can and can't accomplish out there. 

Grow more food!