Hey Berryman,
I saw your post, so I took off my sunglasses, and put away my spf 30 tanning lotion and snapped a couple of photos for you of my garden...ahhhh the good life ;-)

and yes, under that green tarp is 20 yards of composting steer manure and shredded leaves/ramial wood chips...
Yeah Bayyyyy

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I feel your pain.
My compost pile is too far away to shovel a path too. It's under about 4 feet of snow anyway. adding to it would just be feeding the vermin.
As for you hughes.... ARRRG!!! :)
I hope you get heat rash from turning your piles in that bright, beautiful sunshine. JK.
:) Laura

I'm ready for spring too. We had temps in the 40's today but it rained so hard I couldn't do anything in the yard anyway.I have no pictures of my muddy yard to show, no camera. You're not missing anything anyway.

..
Yeah. I'm ready for spring too. It dipped down below forty just the other night.
..

8-10 more weeks, then I will be planting mid Spring crops.
Sigh!

Berryman your kitty on the composter looks like she is thinking about lush catmint plants to crawl through!

Thats my garage cat or neighbor hood cat, that has no home and begs door to door. Looking at the size of her she does pretty good. Old Ferrel farm cat from across the way. Though in the summer time she always has a mouse in her mouth so no one shoo's her away. Blind in one eye, has the loudest off key meow but nicest cat I ever met. Also helps keep the rabbit population down. (scourge of the planet as far as I am concerned). She likes my composter in the in the sun on a cold day. I usually put a few treats on it for her.

Also to add to the SIGH, we got another 4-5" of snow yesterday....but I did see some Geese flying north so there is hope.

That's a great pussycat. Looks as if she works very hard to keep the varmints down. I think she needs love with her treats. A nice pat on the head and scratch on the back would be much appreciated by her I think. She is beautiful.

Hey Berryman, I know exactly how you feel. We are getting positively BURIED here in eastern Mass. (Love your cute mouser kitty!)

JonHughes, I usually enjoy your pictures and your enthusiasm, but the snow is making me cranky and your pics are just making me jealous at the moment. LOL

Follow the path from the deck, past the bird feeding area, and back around to the right, and there's a compost bin somewhere under the snow behind the Yew Trees.
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Hey Berryman,Terrene et al,
Does the government give you people subsidized housing....or are you in the Witness Protection Program, ???

What on earth would possess you people to stay there...Gadzooks.... ;-0

I would be freezing, besides, how does one be employed in such conditions.... OY VEY.. You are killin' me ;-)

Also in eastern mass but zero snow or ice on the ground now, thanks to that rain. I'm liking that.

Welcome to my world! Every year I see people composting and doing gardening stuff whilst I am under 3 feet of snow and sitting in -25C!

;-)

Lloyd

PNBrown, aren't you on the coast of Massachusetts or maybe Cape Cod? You guys might as well be in a different world.

JonHughes, there are a lot of people employed in snow and ice removal right now!

Yeah seriously Lloyd, I'd live in Canada or Buffalo or somewhere if I wanted to deal with this much snow!!

At least we're getting a break in the action at the moment. 8-D

Lloyd, just to make you jealous, my first daffodils should be blooming within a week.

DOH!!

Terrene - the islands. Yes, the tropics of new england, and it's still way to much winter for me.

I feel for all of you. I actually had to come inside late morning from my gardening work because it's too warm out there.

I'll get back out there around 4:30 or so to harvest some fresh lettuce, onions, and tomatoes for tonight's salads and pick some nice Swiss chard, collards, and kale for the greens.

So, how much do you hate me? LOL

Truth be told it does work the other way as Summer comes on. There are only a few crops that can take the heat and I sure can't take the mid day heat. Being "roasted in" is no better then being snowed in.

Jon, yeah its called Four wheel drive...I get a kick out of you southerners that close your city for 6" of snow, even if the roads aren't plowed, my little car still plows thru that much.
Its been -30 the last four nights, both wood and normal furnace's have been running....

The benefit of the Winter however is the trees, plants and soil go dormant and get a nap, a lot of things require this for them to be healthy.

Plus when you only have two seasons Hot and Hotter you don't see the beautiful fall leaves, the white snow, crocus's popping thru the snow, Big deer with full antlers, the blue jays and cardinals eating corn, the smell of wood fireplace, Ice fishing, kids playing Hockey outside, you get to take a long winters nap. You appreciate the warm weather so much more when you live thru the cold.

Well, I prefer my year round bass fishing to ice fishing. And you have it all wrong, we close our cities for much less than 6" of snow.

Ya but those "southerners" go through hurricanes and tornadoes that would make me pee my pants and go hide in the basement. I can handle snow and cold.

Keep posting pictures of your 'post, it helps me get through the winter.

:-)

Lloyd

"The benefit of the Winter however is the trees, plants and soil go dormant and get a nap, a lot of things require this for them to be healthy.

Plus when you only have two seasons Hot and Hotter you don't see the beautiful fall leaves, the white snow, crocus's popping thru the snow, Big deer with full antlers, the blue jays and cardinals eating corn, the smell of wood fireplace, Ice fishing, kids playing Hockey outside, you get to take a long winters nap. You appreciate the warm weather so much more when you live thru the cold."

You are sooo right berryman.

I was beginning to think I was the only person who loves winter. I even like shoveling snow!

I seldom have problems driving anywhere with a good truck with great winter tires. Most of the roads here are cleared quickly, salted, and sanded. I love my wood stove and don't even mind hauling wood - it's great exercise. This winter has been so mild - often hovering just below or just above freezing. Seldom has it gone below -10C (that's 14F for those south of 49) - it's been a great winter weather-wise for the north.

I could never cope with the extreme heat, insects, and pollution in the south. Much easier to garden organically when so many pests cannot survive the winters. Not to mention the tornadoes, hurricanes, and humidity which we never have. I used to envy southern gardeners for many of the plants they grow until I realized there are some that cannot grow without a winter chill.

To each their own, but I'm a very happy Northerner! I'd hate to have to garden year round - it's nice to have a winter break.

This pic is from a couple years ago - looks about the same now!

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"Does the government give you people subsidized housing....or are you in the Witness Protection Program, ???"

Most of us are not in the WPP or have subsidized housing, but we do have subsidized medical care! And it's actually healthier to live in northern climates according to many studies.

Actually until you hook a Northern on 2lb test line ad try to fight him up a 6" ice hole, or hammer Yellow perch and walleyes, you cant compare.
Llyod I live in Tornado alley, we pee first then grab the video camera.

So that means we will have a 70 degree temp difference in a about four days...they say if you dont like the weather in Iowa wait 5 mins it will change.

Luckygal, I do love winter but look forward to spring too. The twister come with the T- storms which we love too. My Wife is from the Eastern coast of Canada and only saw one maybe two T- storms a year and when she moved to the Midwest and we got'm the one year (93 I think) 3-4 times a week she was in Heaven.

Luckygal pretty pic! "Subsidized Housing" hmmmmm - no actually it's very expensive to live in metro-west Boston. I pay a pretty penny for the privilege of experiencing New England winters in a money pit with $500 heating oil bills and leaks from ice dams! Somethings wrong with this picture! Hopefully in a couple years I sell out, and move somewhere that gets less snow.

Today I went to dump the compost bucket in the bin at the end of the path. What a mess! Frozen kitchens scraps scattered around by the critters. I think the crows are the guilty party. The bin in chock full and there's not much settling or decomposing going on in this weather.
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Ok is it me or does anyone else think terrene's pic of the "mess" at the compost pile was actually nice.....

I like the colors against the white snow....thx t

JB

It's a common misconception that the south does not have winter. Every year we drive to florida and typically the worst weather will be in the mid-atlantic, a good part of which is south of the mason-dixon. Usually I breathe easier once south of richmond and into the typically snow-squall free zone.

Even central florida has a distinct winter, trees and adapted grasses are dormant until march. Some vegetables will grow slowly in all the winter months, and of course that is a very big difference. However killing frosts can and will come every winter anywhere from late dec thru early march.

I have so much awesome compost....
and it's such a beautiful day
(as it turns out,also my 28th anniversary ;-)

I thought I may as well go "top off" some of my beds....

Absolutely Marvelous ;-)

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The worms are gettin' Frisky ;-)

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and yes. I am a big show-off ;-)

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Jon, Is that you on the TV? Is that why your a show off? The Pics you posted are offensive to those of us that live up North, you need to take them down LOL.
If you want to know what its like for us up north watch grumpy old men.
But I will point out that when you look in my back yard you see wildlife not fences.

We are suppose to get up in the 40's this week so I will be getting out the speedo.

Saw him on my door step and was gonna compost him...
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But he moved
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If you sit still for more than a few minutes in my yard your compost or toast...either way you will be compost (sorry Annpat).

Oh the poor little cold 'possum toes! Poor little fellow, he looks so wet and miserable.

I need help from all you SnowBirds ;-)
We had a torrential Blizzard come through our neck of the woods last night, I need a snow blower, snow shovel,Snow shoes, and chains for my tires.... HELP

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Jon - have you been on a diet? Very impressive.

Where I live they'd close the schools with that much snow.

We get that much snow in July.

Wont hurt the strawberries, late snows usually have some N in them, so they should be green, but the cabbages might not be happy.