Clockwise from Top Left: 1. My garden today, March 19, 2014. 2. April 19, 2013. 3. June 1, 2013. 4. August 16, 2013.
This winter has been unusual for so many reasons. First there was that crazy ice storm. The rest of the season has been marked by deep and lingering temperature lows and more snow than I have seen since my childhood. About mid-season a pattern of snow, a quick melt, followed by a quick freeze and more snow seemed to emerge. Imagine the garden as a frosty snow cone. The snow cone begins to melt, but before it can disappear it freezes into a hard lump, which is quickly followed by a snowy topping. This year I strived to place my focus on staying connected to the winter garden in new ways, but its icy, treacherous nature has keep me at arms length.
The garden today, March 19, 2014.
In a typical winter there comes a time when I find myself dreaming of the coming growing season and the changes I will make. This year, the disconnect that I feel from the garden and the seemingly impossible return of spring has made it so that my dreams and schemes have been locked in an indefinite pause. Fortunately, signs of spring are slowly starting to emerge. The birds are more active, the days are longer, and while another wave of snow is predicted for the weekend, the melting periods have been a little longer recently — just long enough to allow more of the hidden garden to appear.
My garden on April 19, 2013 (exactly one year and one month ago).
These small changes have allowed me to drop my hardened winter shield just a bit and start making plans for the future of the garden. Last weekend we cleaned the basement and I dedicated a few hours of that time to babying the plants that live down there underneath lights. The remaining indoor plants have required more water lately. It’s still too early to fertilize, but I have snipped off some dead leaves and branches and cleaned the pots up a bit. Seed-starting has picked up in earnest, too. I even made the first order of the season for several herbs, specifically basils and salvias that I have never before grown and am REALLY excited to try (more on that in a future). Springtime prep is finally starting to fall into place.
My garden in June 2013.
My garden in August 2013.
Looking at these photos of the garden taken over the past year is giving me new ideas for what I will try to improve and how I will change up the beds. Some of these ideas require time to develop and will evolve as the season gears up. I suspect that there will have been some losses this year due to weather, especially in the Dry Garden Bed where I experiment with plants that fall outside of my zone. It will be sad to see some of those plants go, but optimistically the holes they leave in their wake means space to make bigger changes and experiment with something new.
Whether you’re facing drought, too much rain, or extreme cold, it has been a strange winter in many different places. Do you feel yourself coming out of hibernation and turning towards the garden yet?
Related:
- I did a similar image comparison last January that depicts four seasons of the garden beginning in April 2012. I found it very useful in determining the structural changes I wanted to make that year.
- Davin made a timelapse video that shows the way the garden evolved in our first season here. It’s very helpful as a remembrance of how far the space has evolved since day one.
Yes! I have the first few swiss chard plants sprouting on the window sill, and onion sprouts under lights in the cellar. I can’t wait for spring.
Love your comparison from month to month in the garden. Changes you might not notice every day are so stark in the photos.
Yes, I absolutely find that to be the case. Plus I tend to forget so I find that looking back is a really helpful reminder.
I was so overwhelmed by this winter, it was hard to imagine that the garden ever appeared lush like in your June and August photos. I still felt that way until about a week ago, when the signs of spring started appearing (funny how you can forget and be in a state of disbelief that it will come). I still neglected to start eggplant or peppers, so I may be relying on more transplants this year, but I am so eager to get out there and plant now–as soon as the muck dries up a bit!
Looking at those photos was really helpful in hanging on. When the garden is covered in snow and ice I can easily forget the transformation that it takes.
Gayla, my garden is iced over very similarly to yours. I can really identify with the March 19, 2014 photo. Just strolling around outside, I fell once and nearly fell innumerable times. Right now I have less snow remaining than you do and I was able to rake out a few beds just yesterday, piling debris into compost bins.
I also felt very disconnected from my beds this winter, unable to see even a tell-tale mound where something exists under the snow. It was also hard to redesign or even plan for the vegetable rotation without seeing the outlines of the planting areas. It’s almost like those sleeping perennials won’t be returning unless I can see them and check on them in the dormant months.
I yearn to meander through your August photo and feel all the foliage. It’s like a gut reaction.
I assume we are looking at your shed door. What is your vantage point for the photos? It’s a perfect spot to record the stages.
The vantage point is a room on the second floor. I call it the garden room because it’s the only room that looks out onto the garden (the house is very narrow). I also recently moved my gardening books into that room. They’d become too many for my office!
I’ve always been amazed at how lush your garden becomes after a growing season. It’s an amazing transformation.
I am clawing at the patio door to get out into the garden! Our winter has been pretty much the same and I’m very much finished with it – we had our first snowfall before Halloween and it has just been piling up since. I tried to get into my greenhouse last weekend when the weather was nice, but there is no way I was getting the door open with all the snow/ice packed in front of it. But the general snow level is coming down and I can actually see the raised beds now so I’m feeling very hopeful and excited about spring. I started my peppers and eggplant about a month ago under lights and I did sit down last week to start mapping things out on paper. My husband and I also busted out some summer drinks in the hopes that it might move things along a little faster – but I’m not sure it worked as the temperature dropped the last few days and it is currently snowing again. I was also inspired last year by your photos and snapped a few myself, but I’m hoping that this year I can make a note in my calendar to take a photo the same time every month from the same window – I think it does really help with planning, and also when you just need a reminder during a long crappy winter.
I know from personal experience how hard it can be to stay on top of documenting when you’re out there doing work or just enjoying it! But I always kick myself feeling like I didn’t document nearly enough. Even finding these 3 photos from the last year take from the same angle took some doing and I realized I neglected doing it for a few months of the season. This year I’m going to but alerts on my calendar!
It’s so funny that I happened to read this today. I was just going through and cleaning up some pictures on my computer, and looked at some of my garden pics from the summer. I immediately felt the darkness of this long winter ease up a little on my soul, when I saw just how much will be going on, soon. Thanks for this lovely post…your garden is just amazing.
I hope Davin does another timelapse video now that you have your garden more settled. I adored the last one he did!
Enjoyed your pics from last year and what your garden looked like hardly a couple of weeks ago.
My family and I braved freezing temps week before last to finish cleaning up the garden. This past weekend, lettuce and peas were FINALLY planted and a pic posted on the fan page. The garden looked so bare – so sad. March would normally have our garden red buds in bloom, shrubs budding and perennials peaking their first heads out….but not this year. However, yesterday it reached 80 degrees here in TN. Somewhere during the past 48 hours, I think I missed spring!
Hope this week brings lots of sunshine and warmer temps to your garden!