Winter Love- and it's slow demise

To any who knows me, it's no secret that I love winter. There is something so clean about glistening white coating everything, diamond flecks sparkling in the air provides a feast for the eyes while inhaling the crisp, fresh air is invigoration of purest form. In winter the world is so quiet that one can nearly hear the whisper of snow hitting the ground through the hush. 

Then there are the raging storms; when icy beasts rage and shake our homes, clawing for entrance while washing the rest of the world away in blasts of arctic white. It is so exciting to be part of! 

The entire season is just sublime. 

It's why I choose to live where I do, in the northeast US on the shores of Lake Ontario, where 100 inches of snow a winter is not uncommon, where winter can start in October and end around May, if it so chooses. To hell with those pesky Solar Holidays that say when season ends or begins. Old Man Winter and Mother Nature relish their affair, and sometimes like to drag it out as long as possible.

Not everyone shares my enthusiasm. I tend to tell them to just move to warmers climes but that isn't usually a well received idea. Somewhere after the desire for a Bing-style white Christmas fades the Joy of the Season turns into a vicious hunt for Old Man Winter with the desire to soak the pristine white with his (I like to think) pale blue blood. The previous magical nature of frosty windows now incites rioters armed with snow shovels, bb-like rock salt, and the grinding, mangling blades of snow-blowers. 

I have a list of suspects, but I believe the police are protecting them.

As the seeds I planted in the basement greenhouse sprout, some already proudly showing off their first leaves, I am anxious to get outside and work the soil. I have plans, oh so many plans, that involve hacking the hell out of my front yard until it almost doesn't exist anymore- in its place will be a lovely garden of leafy greens and herbs...only if...

The ground thaws out. Even on days when the sun is shining and it looks like their might be a thaw, the earth is frozen not more than an inch down, making it quite impossible to turn and amend. To keep myself from falling in line with the winter haters, or despairing with those melancholy struck souls, here is what I remind myself of:

Winter helps our gardens.

1. This winter we have had over 110" of snow. When it melts and runs off, it will be fortifying our water reserves, meaning no water bans for us unless we are struck by a prolonged, incredibly hot drought. Unlike a few years ago when we had a winter so mild that people celebrated Christmas outside, and Valentine's Day was a too warm 70*F.  Later that summer, we had water bans and restrictions. Crops on large farms suffered, home gardeners were helpless as we watched our hopes wilt and dry into brown crumbles. Vegetable prices skyrocketed. A "real" winter could have helped with all of that.

2. Snow keeps the ground frost free. Here's an interesting one, right?  Frost, the sudden freezing of moisture due to a drop in temperature is kept at bay by flakes of frozen water. Too many frosts, especially early in the season, can kill perennials. Two years ago, 2012, the fruit tree blossoms were out and the air hung thick with their sweet scent. Then one night, a frost. A biting horrible frost. Farmers and Gardeners alike ran to check the crops only to find wilted, sad blooms that dropped from the trees when a mere whisper crossed their limp petals. It. Was. Heartbreaking. That year, tree fruit prices jacked up as the production was low. Some farms lost over 50% of their anticipated crop to a single frost. Out of 3 fruit trees, I was able to save one apple. That's it. I will tell you, it was the sweetest apple I've ever eaten though. 
What's snow got to do with it?  Snow is 32*F. It acts as an insulation against that ice coating and can literally save a plant. 
AND a late winter actually reduces the chances of an early bloom, thus averting another frost induced crop loss like 2012. Those mid-February warm ups can trick nature into coming out to play too early. That's when Jack Frost will strike, his icy nails biting into our precious plants and dragging them to their cold graves.

3. The cold keeps bugs at bay. Those stingers we all love to hate- wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, etc. die off in winter. It also kills off Japanese Beetles, the larvae of the dastardly Ash Borers, Cucumber Beetles, slugs, etc.  All of those itty-bitty pests that do not help our crops will be knocked back in populations quite a bit.  Mild winters result in a higher percentage of these buggers. The mild winters of the past three years are part of why we see those purple tents (traps) hanging in Ash trees as we drive along country roads. Less larvae surviving winter equals a much better bounty for us.

Cucumber Beetles...if only they were as tasty as their name.

4. Speaking of pests, there are also invasive plants that are kept at bay thanks to the freezing cold. The warmer the winter the faster the recovery of invaders like cleavers (which are also a medicinal herb) which can choke the life right out of our desired plants. Prolonged cold will freeze some of those rhizome spreaders in their tracts, and while not stopping them, sometimes slowing them down is just what we need to control them.

5. My favorite reason- some plants benefit from a good dose of cold. Leafy greens like lettuces, spinach and kale produce more glucose, the simple sugar that is a result of photosynthesis, which makes them sweeter when given a shot of cold. This is also tapping time on Maple Syrup farms. Too warm and that sweet sap-o-deliciousness spoils.
A foodie like me can't resist that reason all on its own.


While swearing about the evils and ails of winter as we head into April, think about the reasons why we benefit from it, how it will make our garden lush and our food so tasty, and be thankful for each precious snowflake for all it gives us when Spring actually arrives.