what survived the big freeze?

**binley100** · 28-12-2010, 01:54 PM

Not been able to get up t'lottie yet, but now the snows going from the garden I can see that it looks trashed. We've had squirrels and Jake cannot stop at the edge of the borders ....he's probably trampled everything into oblivion

**zazen999** · 28-12-2010, 01:59 PM

Well, interestingly enough I went out this morning and the broad beans which had gone black and collapsed already have new green growth near the ground.

The frosts have cleared off alot of hangers on, salads, peppers, brassicas that hadn't firmed up properly; so we will clear anything dead this week, and pop compost on top and ready to rock and roll as soon as we can.

**Bren In Pots** · 28-12-2010, 02:03 PM

My All year round and artic king lettuce in the greenhouse is doing fine I've picked some today for dinner then outside the Cavolo nero kale seems OK but the cabbage looks like its been flattened so I hope it picks up.

**Florence Fennel** · 28-12-2010, 02:05 PM

The flower sprouts that I grew for the first time this year are decidedly delapidated. They grew into magnificent plants, but shrivelled at the first sign of frost. Don't think I'll be bothering with them again. The parsnips however are beautiful, and easy to get out of the ground today, unlike Christmas Eve when kettles of boiling water were employed.

**hailtryfan** · 28-12-2010, 08:47 PM

Leeks, onions, and garlic looking unscathed

Spinach is long gone

Broad beans look decidedly unhappy in a blackened floppy kind of way. Hope they sprout new growth like yours Zazen.

**Jono** · 29-12-2010, 04:00 PM

Had a good poke around today and leeks, kale, brussels and cabbage are all fine. I've left my carrots in the ground this year, covered by fleece, and they're okay too. Onions and garlic look like they'll make it through.

Snow has finished off the pak choi, radiccio and mibuna. My broad beans have also gone black and fallen over. Surprising one is the perpetual spinach - its gone all floppy - normally I've found its as hard as nails.

**binley100** · 29-12-2010, 04:06 PM

Ventured up to the lottie today to see the damage.......PSB and Spring cabbage looking good, leeks looking puny still, kale is fine , swiss chard looks like its time is up and garlic and onions seem to be sprouting........I have some red cabbage in and it seems ok ,tho' some of the leaves are a litle bit brown on the edges , hoping it picks up again.

**stella** · 29-12-2010, 04:07 PM

Just picked a bowl of lambs lettuce, rocket and lettuce, so they are ok. Some broadies gone black others seem ok at the moment.

**arpoet** · 29-12-2010, 04:12 PM

Managed to cut sprout stalks and Kale tops right though the cold snap. Both were really sweet, but still covered in tiny whiteflys that were still alive.
Not seen the cabbages or leeks for weeks, same with what swedes were left in the soil. I may try and get down the lottie tomorrow (whatever day it is) and see the state of play.

**gojiberry** · 29-12-2010, 04:19 PM

Have not had a chance to check lottie yet but I know from weeks ago that the broad beans had gone black and collapsed, will check to see if there is any sign of new growth when I go round the lottie tomorrow. Broad beans in greenhouse are OK but lost other stuff in there.

Ian

**djhs196** · 30-12-2010, 01:25 PM

Carrots and parsnips under straw, leeks, kale, savoy and swedes (seem) all fine.

What might be of real interest tho was the outside winter salad bed experiment, under just a cloche during the big freeze. It collapsed once under the weight of the snow once, but generally I tried to keep it clear during the heaviest snow.

It got to -5.8 degrees in the greenhouse here (bubblewrap + snow insulated), so cloche would have been much the same or colder. I havested frozen salads over period, and they thawed in the kitchen before being served.

But so far:

Winter purslane - fine
Winter cress - fine
Corn Salad (Vit) - fine
Rocket - fine
Lettuce - Lattughino - some older leaves now gone slimey, but centres okay. Lost one plant
Lettuce - Little Gem - in 2 plants the hearts have gone, 2 look okay
Chinese Cabbage - fine, but at an early stage.

For the latter, the older leaves pepped with holes from pest, but new ones are clear and I hope the whole plant will be when it's time to harvest.

Pics of the 8 x 4 feet bed from today:

Oriental mustards in the greenhouse also seem fine, and plantings of the same above have a similar story in the greenhouse.

**Bigmallly** · 30-12-2010, 07:10 PM

Ventured to the top of the garden to pick some leeks, whilst there I decided to turn a bed over. To my surprise I lifted over a pound of beautiful tatties.

**Dottie** · 30-12-2010, 08:35 PM

I popped down to the lottie today, as I had some dismantled pine shelves that I may use for a bed or thinking of using them to make a slanted shelf, to lean off the shed? Not sure how to go about it yet, but the shelves are all ready, so thinking it must be easy to adapt?

Anyway the plot is now clear of snow and it was nice to have a little wander around. My broad beans look fine (only about 2 or 3" high) as I didn't sow them until late. I forgot to check on my tub of carrots, as they were frozen prior to christmas. Lots of parsnips still in the ground, but the leaves are also on the ground, so hoping they will still be ok?

All my fruit bushes and stuff look fine (plot is about 50% fruit), although to be honest I was really just enjoying wandering around and probably didn't inspect as well as maybe I might have. Just remembered I didn't check my elephant garlic, asparagus or rhubarb beds, but I'm sure they'll all be doing fine.

Herbs were all looking healthy, as were a load of poppy and cornflower seedlings that I'd planted around lots of beds to bloom early next year.

Hope to pop down tomorrow and maybe spend a hour or so down there, if it's not too cold or wet. Also wondering if it's safe to plant up in my garden the climbing roses I bought from Poundland? We just have fog and a bit of drizzle here and I've had to turn the heating down quite a bit at home.

**HeyWayne** · 30-12-2010, 09:47 PM

Managed to get to the plot this morning to drop off some cardboard for covering beds.

I'd planted two lots of autumn garlic - one of which looks good, nice healthy shoots, and one lot that has hey to show signs of growth.

I'd also planted a shed load of onions, but no sign of them yet.

My sole self-sown broad bean plant has blackened and died.

Celeriac looks worse for wear, though quite a lot of green left.

Chard all slimey and dropped.

Beetroot had it.

Rose still showing buds.

I think that's it...

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