Polar Vortex. Farming. Sunshine.

Well, folks, we’re in for a wild ride this week! Polar vortex 2021 is here. We were so fortunate to have a mild January and miss it already. At least Mother Nature has blessed us with some sunshine this morning, helping us forget it is wicked cold outside as long as we are enjoying the day from the warmth of the house. Our animals are all tucked inside the barn and chicken coop on warm straw beds which will help protect them from the frigid windchill. Besides not enjoying being cooped up, they should weather this cold snap just fine as long as they have food and water (thankful for water heaters!).

Our greens in the hoop houses are a little more questionable on whether they’ll make it through the polar vortex. We plant cold hardy varieties, but there is definitely a limit to how much they can take. Hopefully we’ll have regular sunshine which will help warm the ground and plants during the day to give them a chance to make it through the cold nights. We have all the beds tucked in with row covers as well but they will only help so much. In the meantime, we’ll be working on starting some more seedlings and reviewing our next plantings which may end up going in sooner rather than later. As we’ve found out with the insanity of 2020, it’s important to be flexible and adjust and that’s just what we’ll do!