Winter gardening on the Hill

Absolutely amazing--the Montauk daisy in my yard has broken bud and is leafing out. This is one of very few perennials that didn't get a layer of straw mulch in December, topped by evergreen boughs. So I mulched it in hope of saving the buds that remain from the freeze that is sure to come with the full moon this week. I suspect that forsythia cut for forcing would blossom very quickly this year--the willow trees are already showing yellow bark.

Yesterday I inspected the plants in my two salad garden cold frames. The chard, spinach, claytonia and scallions have wintered over nicely and are started to grow again as the days lengthen. I opened the frames last night to allow the rain to water them, and planted some early spring crops: mache and scallions. More to come this week. The crops are covered with Reemay as Eliot Coleman recommends, and in a frame made from hay bales with wooden storm window tops. My neighbors have been harvesting carrots, lettuce, and other crops all fall and winter from their cold frames; normally these crops would have frozen even in the cold frame at this time of year, with the exception of the spinach.

Organizers of the Munjoy Hill garden tour, Hidden Gardens of Munjoy Hill, have announced July 9 as the date of this year's event. To volunteer to help with the tour, with publicity, or in other ways, contact Jaye Gorham at 774-0768 or jgorham@maine.rr.com.