Time: 0900
Location: Suffolk, VA
Weather:
Sunny
3°C (37°F)
2 cm of Precipitation
WNW wind at 2mph, gusting to 3mph
Another cold front moved in over the last two days and dropped anoher 2cm of rain and had the wind gusting up to 40 mph.
Solo working in the back vegtable garden
Work & Observations
Those winds did a number on the early Pisum sativum var. saccharatum (Snow Peas). Completely ripped the supports out of the ground and tangled the vines. I may loose that whole part of the crop. I set the supports and vines back up, but there isnt really a good way to stabilize it at this point.
The problem is I used a small chicken wire fence as a support. It would probably have been great for the summer but the winter winds are just too strong. It basically creates a wall of leaves to catch the wind like a windbreak and then once the soil is wet from rain and frost the bamboo canes supporting the chicken wire the wind works it back and forth till they have nothing holding them in. I could try to move the peas to one of the middle beds next winter. The current beds run north-south, but the middle beds run east-west which seems to be the average prevailing wind when the winter fronts start moving in. Planting parralle to the prevailing winds next winter should help with the amount of wind damage.
The late P. sativum var. saccharatum (Snow Peas) are doing well. More have sprouted and they are starting to vine. I got supports put in for them: jute cordage tied to the bamboo cane rail above. I will have to check in a few days. There are few plants but the hope is that they will have more give in heavy winds and less likely to pull the canes out when the soil is saturated.
There is not much else I noticed aside from that the Vicia faba (Fava Beans) have some wind damage, but they have bounced back every time that has happened. I did confirm that they have a type of Aphis fabae (Black bean aphids) so I need to treat that as soon as possible.
Some more of the Allium sativum 'Inchelium Red' (Garlic) have sprouted too which is nice. At least the garlics and onions are doing well.
Aside from that, during the breaks in the rain I noticed a little blue bird has started coming to the yard. I got a picture of it but can seem to find it on my phone. Not a whole lot of wild life other wise though outside of a murmuration of an unidentified species of birds that I got a video of. I need to make sure to check the bird feeders and get more seed in them.
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