Semper Gumby
Accumulated snow from yesterday.
This winter has been extreme for almost all parts of the United States. Whether you have had heavy snowfall, blizzards, freezing nights, and/or massive rainfall, gardeners must take into consideration the weather for a successful harvest. Valentine’s Day is usually a day when people prune rose bushes and plant potatoes in Southeast Texas. It is not that February 14th holds any magic, but it is a date that is easy to remember.
We had a nice break from the rain and cold this past weekend. I stayed outdoors as much as possible. My husband and I cleaned out our front flowerbeds. We pruned our rose bushes and cut back our other plants that have been burned or killed by the repeated days of hard freezes.
Rain is in the forecast again this week so I am holding off once more planting my potatoes. Can you believe that it snowed yesterday? Unbelievable! I have not seen such big snowflakes since I visited Colorado a couple of years ago.
The ground was trying to dry out from being over-saturated. Hopefully if it does rain, it will be a light rain and not a gully washer. If everything goes as planned, I will plant my potatoes as soon as the ground is suitable. I do not want my potatoes to rot in the ground.
Since it is still so cold, I decided to sow cabbage and snow pea indoors. I figure that the cooler weather will stick around for awhile, which will allow me time to harvest both crops. Both cabbage and peas are great fall crops in this area. Unfortunately an early, unexpected freeze killed all of my plants last autumn. So, I am going to try again.
Gardening is a science, but it is not an exact science. There are no magic planting days. There are no magical seeds. There are too many variables that affect the plants. Soil conditions, weather conditions, temperatures, etc. all combine to either make or break your harvest.
You can affect some of the variables. You can adapt the soil conditions to your needs. You can fertilize naturally or synthetically. You can add pine needles to make the ground more acidic. You can affect the conditions of the soil. You can water more often when there is a drought. But try as you might, you cannot change the weather. You cannot change the temperature or the intensity of the sun. You cannot control whether a tornado or late freeze hits. So my advice is go with the weather. If it is warm in the fall, plant warm weather crops. If it is cold in the spring, plant cool weather crops.
Each year the variables are different. Last year we suffered through a drought. This year it seems that it won’t stop raining. Do not be afraid to try and fail. Do not be afraid to do something different this year from last. A good friend of mine says, “Semper Gumby.” Always be flexible. It is a great mantra for life. Anyone can say it, but gardeners and farmers need to live it.
