Happy Saturday!

This week, snow finally came for a visit!

Did it also have to bring the wind? I lost two nights of sleep because of the wind. Not only was the wind howl outside my window all night, there was a lot of banging outside as well. I imagine it was someone’s garbage can’s lid wouldn’t stay shut.

I was also worried about the garden. I have experienced high winds before like the 70 mile/hour cross wind two Februaries ago. This time, it was 55 mile/hour wind coming from the south. I was not prepared for this wind. I thought 55 mile/hour wind wouldn’t be that bad. Oh, was I wrong.

The next morning, prior to the snow falling, I found cardboard and boxes scattered around the front and back yard. The boxes belonged to my uncle, who lives next door. The cardboard all had grease on them like they previously held food. Why did it have to land in my yard?

This was the second snow storm of the 2025-2026 winter season and the weather forecast definitely over-predicted the snow total. I was told by multiple sources that I would get 3-5 inches but I would say I got about 2 inches tops. Still, I’m grateful for the amount of snow produced by this storm, when it melts and flows down my roof, it will be go into the rain barrels.

Since the weather has been so bad this week, I had to bring all the seedlings indoors again. I did make the risky decision of transplanting some of the seedlings last weekend before the storm. So far, despite the temperatures dipping below 20-degree-Fahrenheit, they were all okay.

Now, let me show you the seedling’s temporary home…

I have a 4-tier shelf for my seedlings. This is the bottom tier, which it reserved for more mature seedlings since I set up this tier to have a high clearance in height than the other tiers.

In the middle there, I have started sprouting snow peas for transplants. I am experimenting with indoor sprouting peas this year. In the past, I have always sowed peas directly outdoors but it always come up too late and by the time the peas start coming in, the weather would get hot and the plant would die. I hope by giving them a head-start, I can get some delicious peas this year.

This tier is a mix bag of veggies and flowers. At the far right is Japanese red mustard, hopefully I will be able to transplant these next week when the weather warms. In the back is a tray of lobelia – a ground-cover flower.

In the middle, I’m starting some Asian greens in the back and sprouting Nasturtium as well as try to seed-start asters one last time this year. I have the same problem with Nasturtium as I do with peas. Both like cool weather but it won’t sprout in cold soil. What a conundrum. 🤔

Here’s another tier of mix-bag, though some of these are more recently sowed than others. At the far right is a newly sowed tray of herbs and flowers. Behind that is a tray of watercress, which I grow as microgreens. From time to time, I would trim the watercress and put it in a bowl of noodle soup.

My mom and aunt didn’t believe me when I told them I was growing watercress. “Doesn’t watercress live in water?” My aunt asked. Not necessarily, watercress likes to have wet feet but they don’t need to be live in the water. I think watercress is a great plant for those that claims they have a “black thumb” because they overwater the plants. This is a plant that loves to be drowned.

The top shelf is reserved for those that like it extra hot.

There’s a heat mat on each tier with a thermostat set to a specific temperature. The bottom tier is set to 55-degree, the one above is set to 65-degrees, the one above is set to 70-degrees, and the top tier is set to 85-degrees. I prioritize the plants on each tier based on their optimal growing and germination temperatures, for exemple, peas germinate at around 55-degrees, so the bottom shelf is fine.

Anyway, the pepper didn’t need to be on the top tier but I put them there to give them a little bit of heat during the cold nights. Right in the middle are 2 Japanese sweet potatoes, one has already sprouted. Sweet potatoes need 85-degrees heat and humidity to sprout.

On the far right of the tier are the ginger, which also love the heat. I used organic ginger this year and they sprouted rather quickly. Ginger needs about 8 months of warmth. Being in my climate, they need a head-start. They won’t go out into the garden until probably June. I hope I will get some ginger this year.

As always, thank you to Natalie for hosting Weekend Coffee Share. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.