Anyone suffering from cabin fever?

18 years ago

Pretty new to this site, but I just wanted to know how everyone is dealing with the end part of winter? This is always the hardest time of year for me. I literally ache for spring. Today is a blistery, snowy February day in southern Ontario. We've been so lucky so far this winter with little snow and warmer temperatures than usual. We're spoiled here and not prepared for a true wintery February. Any suggestions?

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Comments (9)

sharont
18 years ago
1. If you have a cat or two, grow some grass seeds.
2. Sow any seeds. Put on top of refrigerator. Then on the window. They may get lanky but you are growing something.
3. If you can, find a bus trip to Canada Blooms & book passage!
4. Get out your pots early & sterilize them.
5. Plan a new garden bed with shrubs & perennials. Also plan what annuals you'd put in between while the perennials get established.
6. Check out your bargain shops & box stores for possible garden needs.
7. Find a nursery that is open all year round & enjoy the atmosphere.
8. Play the memory game of what is actually in your garden. Write down all that you can remember & if you can use Latin names for each species.
9 Check out a large second hand book store for a cheap book on gardening.
sam
Shirley Plastow
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks sharont for the suggestions..They were all great and I admit to doing most of them. I haven't ever made it to Canada Blooms yet, but that is a great idea . It's something I've aways wanted to do, but so far have just seen it on t.v. I also visited the butterfly gardens in Niagara Falls one year and i can highly recommend that! It feels so fantastic to come out of the cold and into the lush gardens that they have there. Thanks again for answering. I hope Spring comes soon for you too.
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Peppi, if it helps at all, I got my gas bill today too. After the initial shock wore off and I stopped hyperventilating, I thought briefly about reducing the heat. Since it stays at 50F, I left it there, but my furnace is running on pretty much a constant basis. I can hardly wait for next month's bill. (sigh) Nope, no spring fever here. I've been getting outside regularly, thanks, like every single day, LOL. Here we've had 40 inches of snow so far in January, right now it's -5F and it's projected to be a high of 3F tomorrow. Like Peppi, we are being warned not to go outside and the schools were closed today, and will be again tomorrow. Those 30 MPH winds she has are here too, and the blowing is creating white out/blizzard conditions, too dangerous to send a bunch of kids out in a school bus in our largely rural area. The water source to my stock tank is frozen and it appears will remain so until spring finally comes. We're hauling water daily in 50 gallon barrels and bailing the water into the tank with buckets. It's low tech and a pain, but it works, and it's not the worst job I've ever had. So, I haven't been cooking, baking or sprouting seeds, I've been standing in the back of a pick-up with wind chills of 25 below zero, bailing buckets of water. After that I haul some pig feed and more water down to the pig pen, feed the chickens, make sure everyone has enough straw for bedding and are warm and comfortable. Then I go back home and take a hot shower until I'm warm again. Elery is not enjoying farming right now. Yes, spring will come. Eventually. And I'm still happier now than I am when it's 90! Annie This post was edited by annie1992 on Mon, Jan 27, 14 at 21:53
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it's too hot... and i've got 'cabin fever'!?!
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Comments (14)
Yesterday was our 14th day in a row of 100-degrees F or higher, and it topped out at 110-degrees F yesterday. Thankfully we'll have highs in the low 90's this week, and a much needed break from the extreme heat.... But the humidity will be higher and I always think that is worse at any temperature than dry heat. I get up at 3:30 a.m. each morning so I can get everything I need done before 9:00 a.m. when the heat really sets in. The gardening is done by 7:00 or 8:00. I love being at home, so cabin fever or getting bored doesn't fit my personality. I've been spending the hot afternoons making Wonder Ovens (aka Wonder Box - a form of thermal cooking) for Christmas (see link below). Your recipe for homemade mayonnaise made me think of my mother. I don't think my parents bought a jar of mayonnaise until I was a teen in the late 60's - it was always homemade. If you ever are concerned with using raw eggs, you can pasteurize it/them first by bringing the egg/s to 140-degrees F in a pan of hot water, and maintain the temperature for 3-1/2 minutes. Place in cold water to stop the cooking process. It's enough heat to pasteurize the egg, but not enough to completely cook it so you can still use it "raw". Lots of raw whole foods these days (but that's normal all year round) - especially with the garden producing. Cooling fruit or homemade fruit sorbet for dessert. Lots of homemade sprouts to use in wraps and on sandwiches now that it's gotten too hot to grow fresh greens. I also have a lot of pre-cooked meat, soup and chili in the freezer in user-friendly amounts we use when it's hot (cook once, eat twice - or more). Frozen seasoned steak strips or chicken for hearty dinner salads or a head start on a stir-fry, or quick Mexican entrees. Pulled pork has all kinds of uses.... I portion it in snack-bags and then vacuum-seal it in a FoodSaver bag. Add some bbq sauce and a homemade burger bun from the freezer and top it with shredded cabbage (also from the garden). I baked some new (homegrown) potatoes in the Solar Oven the other day, reheated some chili (formerly frozen) in the Solar Oven as well, to top the baked potatoes for a quick meal along with sliced fresh vegetables from the garden. Chili also makes a quick Taco Salad. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Wonder Box
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wyndyacre
18 years ago
The Stratford Garden Festival is even sooner than Canada Blooms and highly reccommended. I'm looking forward to attending lectures on design and alpines.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stratford Garden Festival
Justine_London
18 years ago
Check out the online seed catalogues.
Cruise some of the other garden sites here on gardenweb...there's many galleries with some marvelous photos.
Why don't you wintersow some seeds ? I love it , I mean getting out the dirt and planting some seeds at your kitchen table, putting your newly planted bottle/jug/cup/plastic container outside to do its magic in the cold outdoors of winter....I love it!
Great gardening!(even in winter)

Here is a link that might be useful: winter sowing
jimihendrix
18 years ago
My Sweet Potato Slips are already ahead of schedule. Have already ordered my Carrot Seed`s(Red and Yellow)and Tomato Seeds Thessaloniki and Stupice. Will Start these in grow trays around the 15th of March. Its going to be a good season Cant wait
paul_
18 years ago
I grow orchids and play in my 30 gal terrarium. Then there are also orchids shows to attend to admire all the nifty blooms. [Don't know how common those are for you Canadian folk -- but here in my area there's usually one a month fall to spring, all in driving distance.]

: )
sunkeeper
18 years ago
Just garden indoors with a good grow light. I have lots of things growing to pass the end of the winter.
Brugmansia

I even have some little tomatoes which will be so nice in May or so

You can have the best of both worlds in Ontario. Garden all winter long with lights and walk out the door and go skating or sledding, could you be any closer to paradise?
Bethany_Z5
18 years ago
I saw a Robin today and the daffs and crocus are coming up so there hope!
User
18 years ago
When I was up in WI I grew orchids so I had plants to play with indoors while it snowed outside. I helped me with cabin fever big time. Phaleonopis are good choices for indoor growing. They will bloom near a window and each individual flower seems to last forever.

Anyone suffering from cabin fever?

Comments (9)

sharont

Shirley Plastow
Original Author

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Justine_London

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sunkeeper

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Anyone suffering from cabin fever?

Comments (9)

Shirley PlastowOriginal Author

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Shirley Plastow
Original Author