Hi ATP Members,

I planted my winter garden on October 28. It was late in the season, but before the Nov 9 cut off date. Unfortunately, within the first two weeks, we experienced a seasonal change which brought a super cold snap along with it.

I planted the typical root veggies (carrot, beet, turnip, parsnip, radish), cold leaf (lettuce, mustard, spinach), garlic, onion/leek, potato, and threw in some celery. Radish, mustard, turnip came up, but nothing else.

Last year, I was able to plant a bit earlier and the plants had time to sprout and grow before the cold set in. Most did fine over winter. Here's my question: can I assume that most of these seeds are no longer viable, or should I continue to periodically water over the winter? I don't expect to see garlic before spring, but shouldn't I be seeing something from the majority, or do most of these seeds stay doment? I'm not sure if I should water or let them be at this point.

Thanks for your help.

Hmmm. Not sure. I'm surprised the cold snap killed lettuce and spinach, I've heard of people germinating lettuce in western New York, my old home, in spring with freezing temps at night. I think the lettuce and spinach seed is a goner. Not sure about beets and parsnip but I do know beets need a lot of water to germinate, next time you plant beets soak them in water overnight (unless you already knew that). Sift through some of the soil to see if you find any beet seeds, if not they probably rotted.