Saturday, February 11, 2012

*winters triumphant return?

We have only had a few below freezing temps this winter, which one might think is normal for Florida. Not so much on the Gulf Coast, in fact the area we are located at is considered the coldest spot of Florida. When my dear husband found this out, he laughed. He does not like cold weather and was thrilled when we left NC in April's cold temps last year.  It seemed to have been a record cold winter for many states last year, this year is just the opposite - much milder. This, my dear is the kind of weather my dear husband loves! He is always saying, always summer, that is the theme of his Florida license plate, "Endless Summer". Smh


Tonight we are to have 24 degrees, um... that is cold.  This means our baby chicks will have to come back in doors along with their heat lamp in order to keep the temps warm enough for them.  It also means that some of our flowers, plants, and bushes that are sprouting or blooming may get set back with a freeze. There are a few preparations and precautionary measures we can take in order to protect our plants. Just this past week I transplanted over one hundred strawberry plants.


We started with 16 strawberry plants last spring.  When growing strawberries you can choose to do one of two things when your strawberry plants put out runners.  If you trim them your plant will produce more hearty fruit harvest, but if you let them grown you can increase the number of plants in your strawberry patch next year for zero dollars!  We now have over one hundred and fifty strawberry plants in our "strawberry patch".  We chose to let the runners grow after last years small harvest and put a bit of soil over the runner as it got rooted nicely, then we clipped it from the main plant.  This year, I transplanted all of the MANY runners that are now beautiful strawberry plants.


Today we spent time covering strawberry plants with hay.   Our neighbor told us we should wet the plants. Water the plants, wet them?  Um, did you hear that it was going to be below freezing tonight and tomorrow ? Interesting, because my best friend and I were talking just yesterday about preparations and she said she had read where farmers water their plants before a freeze.  We both commented on how we didn't understand how this would help.  After reading this, I have a better understanding of this method.




Hopefully the goats, chickens, baby chicks, rabbits, tender new growth of plants, and pipes are all safe and sound from winters' triumphant return! 




linked to The Country Garden Showcase
Barn Hop #49

13 comments:

  1. There are those puppies again with the cute coats. Those goats just make me smile!

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  2. Take care of those berries Lynnie. I live in Ponchatoula, LA. better known as Strawberry Capital! We have the LA Strawberry Festival right here in our town every April www.lastrawberryfestival.com and it is the 2nd largest "free" event in LA second only to MARDI GRAS attracting over 250K people in the 3 day event! My daughter's high school AG department is the sole seller of all strawberry plant hanging baskets sold at the festival and the HS has several acres of strawberry fields at school that the students are the ones who plant, care for and harvest the berries. My daughter has personally planted 60 hanging baskets herself at school this year. From my daughter.... you should wet them down! I dont get it either, but I figure she should know better than me! lol (Shhhhh, lets not tell the 16 yr old or she might get the big head!)

    Oh and that weather? Yeah... we are getting it here too! Temps tonight are expected to get down to the low 20s and upper 10s with the wind. High today was in the 50s with 20-25mph winds ALL DAY. Makes for a miserable Mardi Gras for those out trying to enjoy the parades. We've had to drain all the lines in our chicken waters and have extra lights in the coop to keep our girls warm. Thankfully when I look out my bedroom window I can see straight into the coop through one of the coop windows... so even while I am in the house, I can keep my eyes on them.

    STAY WARM!!! This weather is INSANE! lol

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, how awesome is it that your daughter has such knowledge! Please thank her for me for that information. Hoping your chicks and ours all stay warm during these cold winter nights!

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  3. Replies
    1. Just to let you and your other followers know, I am having a free give away over on my blog.
      http://theredeemedgardener.blogspot.com/2012/02/veggie-seed-give-away.html

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  4. Your goats look ADORABLE in their little sweaters :) Have a great weekend. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)

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    Replies
    1. They thank you! We did have a super weekend, hopefully you did too!

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  5. Thanks for that link. It actually makes a lot of sense now.

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    Replies
    1. yep! I had to look it up and try and get some insight too! Have a great week!

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  6. Oh Lynnie,
    I'm pulling for your strawberries. Like Clint and your family, I LOVE them.

    We are at 4,000 feet. We get LOTS of freezes and watering before DOES help prevent frost damage. It keeps the soil warmer at the root zone and helps plants keep healthy. Cool season crops actually prepare for freezes too. If they have enough time that is. They concentrate their fluids which works kind of like antifreeze. For this to happen though, they need a few weeks of progressively cooling temps, the strange hot and cold, off and on, we have been getting here at my place this season, is certainly not allowing my plants to prepare.

    The hay is great too. What a strange weather year so far. Thanks for sharing. Your lil farm is in my prayers. I LOVE those adorable goat sweaters.

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  7. The goats look simply adorable in their little coats!! :)

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