Garden Greenhorns: Cold times call for protected measures

an update from Garden Greenhorn and AmeriCorps VISTA Kelsey Grant

April 14 and the weather was down in the 30s. I thought to myself good grief why is it so cold? It should be spring! This day was devoted to protecting the plants that were already in the ground. Carrie Hargrove, the farm manager, went over different precipitation factors that can affect plants.

Sometimes challenges or obstacles, such as the weather, accompany outside garden work. The saying is “the show must go on.”  Finding solutions for the weather can be a bit challenging, however, Carrie had a variety of solutions for the plants. The Garden Greenhorns and I started to set up the beds to be protected from the cold degrees.

We put a cloth across some of the beds to keep the heat and moisture inside. We also put metal hoops across some of the sheeted to create a two-part barrier against the cold.

My thoughts were very low going through this whole day filled with the rain, cold, and wind. I wasn’t going to “sugar coat” the fact that I was freezing and desperately trying to hurry the process.

After the session, I came to a realization that weather has cycles. The plants and produce also have a cycle. This cycle of the weather is just a process that will come and go. ‘This too shall pass,’ is a perfect saying in reference to this fluctuation in the weather.

Just knowing that tomorrow is a brand new day makes me excited to do it all again. And hopefully this time, it won’t rain on our parade.