Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hoop Garden Bed aka Rabbit Hutch


After Thanksgiving when I went to check my small, experimental winter hoop house, I found a rabbit in it (it got in via a clothes-pinned seam the wind had blown apart). Darned cat and dog were just observing the rabbit munching away on the beet greens. My snap-clamps had finally arrived so I fixed the hoop house fabric securely, and fastened the edges against tunneling.

Unfortunately the battery in my camera was dead so I have no photos.

BUT, I am happy to report I spotted some small budding Brussels sprouts on a few stems, and I saw a few carrot shoulders protruding. Plus, there are a few baby spinach leaves the rabbit didn't munch down like the beet greens. Considering that we've had more than 2 dozen nights below 25ºF (and who knows how long that seam had been open), I'm pleased to see some growth, and no apparent frost damage.

So far, I am encouraged to do it again, but with better planning next year. One thing is the need to get seeds started sooner and planted earlier, so the plants have more root growth before covering when cool weather sets in.

4 comments:

  1. I've been out all morning harvesting my chard seeds & cleaning up the broccoli & cabbage bed. I've got a few wee chard & parsley plants overwintering to let me know when things want to grow out there. And I'm thinking of trying some winter sowing in a portion of one bed... I'm not happy w/the way my kale have started indoors, so I think I'll try a little broadcast & cold frame over it. Which means, of course, that first I have to build a little bitty cold frame. LOL

    I didn't get my carrots in soon enough this year, either. Just too many things on my to-do list! =0)

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  2. Cool. I wish I'd put some chard and kale under the hoop.

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  3. Well, there's either next year or there isn't... =0)

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