22 degrees and 9 the chill
Rick in the pot and in the ground , Tall Bok Choy



The others , turnip a few mustard , michilli cabbage , and so on All do not look as well ,,














Planted Turtle Heads and Red Twig dogwood this morning , off t do now , and brrrrrr

Elena, I'm amazed that you are just now getting your first frost. Granted, it's been a warm year for us, too, but we've had several frosts and one or two times where snow has accumulated in the past couple of weeks.

The ground is starting to freeze here and I'm looking out at my garden beds wondering, for the umpteenth time, if I should rake in the unpicked swiss chard into the dirt. It may not be worth the effort with the freezing temperatures because it won't break down well during the winter anyway. The only compelling reason for doing so, it would seem, is to make sure that it doesn't turn into an unsightly scene in my garden bed, with the cracked stems bent over under the snow, etc. Though maybe the deer or rabbits will eat it once food grows scarce?

I have decided, however, that I don't want to grow swiss chard next year. Or, if I do, maybe just a plant or two. Unless I pick it super early, it's just too bitter for me. Even picked early, the earthy taste only appeals to me in moderation, at best. I'll save some room for all of the other lettuces I have, instead, I think.

DND,

You have to remember that cities retain heat (all that concrete) so while it has gotten cold we haven't yet had a freeze. Tonight should be our first. They are predicting 30. Tomorrow night we should have our first hard freeze (down to 24).

I like swiss chard but maybe because I primarily use it in stir-fry. They color looks great and honestly, when cooked that way, it just tastes like soy sauce. It's also good in soups. But I only grow a few plants because they tend to grow huge! I have one that is probably 3 ft tall. Once they go through a freeze-thaw they just turn mushy. I doubt anything would want to eat them but they should decompose pretty readily in the Spring once temperatures warm up. I would rake it into the dirt though. The smell of it decomposing isn't exactly pleasant! I'll probably just cut them down and stick them in the compost this weekend.

>> The Bok choy I picked only lasted a couple of hours at most , You have to pick and use it as soon as you do !

I agree, and always wondered how they kept it crisp and turgid in supermarkets. Constantly spray it with water? For me, it turns rubbery quickly, even when it has never been frosted.

>> The Michilli cabbage is a neat tendergreen here with the white heavy crunchy lettuce like stem , Different taste though I see why it is popular at times ,

It's probably my favorite in Chinese restaurants. Too bad it can't be crossed with romaine lettuce!

Interesting that some are still planting. I have a dozen or more store bought perennials that haven't made it into the ground I was so busy with the wedding and my parents that they got lost in the shuffle. Any suggestions for overwintering them? I have a greenhouse but it is unheated until March 1st. I think most of what I didn't get in the ground where new Coral Bells and grasses. Anyone have suggestions?

I wonder if the coral bells might simply survive being put in a garage? I've never done it, but my caramel heuchera seems to be pretty hardy and I'd wager it could survive in a garage if it came down to it...
I have next to no experience with grasses, though. I can't even keep the carpeting of grass in my ground healthy (until, perhaps, this year), so I'm not the best person to ask on those. Did you have any other perennials that didn't make it into the ground?

I feel your pain a bit, I forgot to plant a climbing rose (never did figure out where I wanted it to 'climb') and I forgot to bring in a potted amaryllis that is likely now iced firmly to the ground. (I brought in all of the other amaryllis though, so hopefully that wasn't the only one of that color/type...)

I have next to no experience with grasses.

do not know if results this is , but I have the Daylily from Libby all planted
Several others ,
Their number was up , outside they went ,



yesterday



Today

What a difference , a day makes , Huh ? (oh well , another bad cleche )

Lisa,

Last year I had a dozen or more pots that never got in the ground. I put them in the unheated garage, and gave them a bit of water once a month. I forgot the baptisias that had been moved by my husband to another corner of the garage and thought I lost them, but they came up like champs. Some of the bulbs I had started to sprout in our warm Nov. so they didnt flower last spring, but otherwise, it worked well for me.

A horticulturist friend of mine also suggests if you can dig a trench and just put the pots or plants in them and put either the dirt around them (as if they were planted), another options. Depends if you have an area you can dig up now.

Val, I was trying to avoid going out in the snow and digging a trench

I would hate to loose the grasses, I paid good money for them and the heucheras are one that I don't have so of course, I want them.

I guess I'll be digging a trench and hope that it isn't too late!

Val sent me the Giant Red Mustard seeds that got sent to her with my name on them from the swap ,,
Shortly I will grow them ,
White cups are milkweed , the others Drama Queen Papavers


A row of 31 purple Milkweed


poppies in yellow cups , all under grassy mulch now ) proper mulch later after zinnia erigeron and more poppies

Thanks for sharing, Jim!

Sorry I haven't been on much lately, the holidays are always a time of travel and, when we aren't traveling, we're greedily hoarding our time to ourselves to rest and relax while we can. (And my mind isn't on growing things much in this cold weather, although with the heat wave we're supposed to be getting in a few days, There's about a 5-10% chance I *might* be inspired to get out into the garden and do something....or come online and see what all of YOU guys are doing!)

Keep the pictures coming, I love to see progress! I may post a couple of pictures of some things in my garden...I'm surprised to see that the leaves on a bunch of my irises are still green, as are the carrot tops (from seeds planted late summer) and a few of my daylily seedlings--apparently a few evergreen varieties asserting themselves--in addition to some of the registered daylily cultivars I have.

I keep telling myself that things are on the upswing now...the days are getting longer and we're closer to planting season than we are far away from it! It gives me the itch to go out there and plant some seeds just for the heck of it and see what happens, winter weather or not...

Libby You Only have time to come in a chat here when you do , A season gets full of everything sometimes I set some Beard'stongue outside yesterday . ,
I like several of you ha lived in these temperatures for nearly as long as I have been , Meaning a few minutes when the temperatures warm up to nearly 20 degrees I am still comfortable for a few minutes outside

Indoors no room for for much
However I came across some white garlic cloves nearly 3 seasons old here they are after only 4 days from first being put in the pot

a little Heart leaf vine in the middle of the pot , sprouted . after three years , White Garlic around the edge





Red Garlic and several still alive outside ,
I am hoping all the time to be able to offer better amounts of seeds
This was the Catnip being cleaned

I havent been checking this thread either, but JIM! I Love all those cups! Do you cover them in place, or just leave them to grow at their own time like winter sowing, but not? I can't WAIT to see your photos next summer when you have all these planted! Please DO post photos!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Val At the Moment their grass Covered , After I see what grows I will mulch better maybe ( that depends on my behavior ) what is about the cups , It is a direct to planting in the ground , where everything is is plain ,

Val Those are set to grow where they are .
Most of what will bloom as the flowers (new that is ) will be asters and fleabane possibly a couple Snapdragons as far as perennial plants ,

Early when the weather right I usually dig up the onion bed and start again , Leeks are near the flowers as they can be ornamental looking when they get mature ,
When it is comfortable outdoors I love it

I had some sunflowers going that were fall planted , I don't know if they got big enough or not for winter dormancy
Last count was 15 new plantings of daylily from the swap , Not many to some , yes to me that is

Some play with the seeds . Achillea The Pearl
Seeds planted the 8Th . sprouts on the 13Th I still don't have these that bloom like their suppose to ..maybe this time .?



The Garlic , around the edge




Getting impatient for spring , thought I would try a few ..

It's hard not to get impatient with the warm weather we've been having. It fools one into thinking it's time for Spring.

I started wintersowing seeds from this trade today in milk jugs. We'll see how they do. I especially hope the daylilies work well. It surely is easier than keeping up with them under grow lights.

I read through all the posts in this thread but am a bit confused. I was in DNDSALLSEEDSWAP from this past Nov (2016) which was my first swap since joining this great gardening site last year. Please forgive me if this is not the right place for what I wanted to share. I got many wonderful seeds in that swap, I am trying winter sewing for the first time ever (for me) I also started a few of the more tresured picks indoors such as:
Canna Lily, Calla Lily, Hibiscus, Desert Bird of Paradise, African Violet and a big thankyou goes out to lalalamchop who shared some of her different Coral Bells with me after the swap and I had come across them and fell in love. ( I have babies) Again sorry if this was the wrong place for this post, but

Those plants look like they are getting off to a great start, Colleen!

I just wintersowed some Japanese Iris, yarrow & Geum gotten in DND's various swaps. Not sure how they will do since our weather has been quite strange. But I have enough seed left over to try again if they don't sprout.

When I went out in the backyard to place the jugs I found 9 seedlings coming up in a jug from last year. Label is erased so I'm just going to have to wait & see what they are. I need to pot them up so I brought them inside. Our weather is supposed to turn frigid again.