For days on end we have enjoyed the white blanket that covered the Lower Mainland. With a short break – so it feels like in hindsight, we had snow and ice covering our fields ever since we returned from Germany in the first week of January. While many don’t like the snow for the hazardous driving condition it creates, a small farmer can point out the positives. Garlic always loves a snow blanket, kale and leeks don’t even mind the freezing temperatures. The low temperatures have a potential to reduce the numbers of overwintering pests in the ground. Snow cover on the fields protects the topsoil from erosion and shelters perennial plants from even more freezing degrees and winds.
There wasn’t much to do outside of course – time off for the farmers. Not quite. We used the chance to do some small renovations in the house, organised our desk and planners for the upcoming season, checked our tools, finally replaced that old tiller and got the greenhouse ready for seeding. The horses’ paddocks needed to be freed from the snow piles that came down from the roof. Yes, there is always something. Yet, there was still plenty of time for wandering around snowy Campbell Valley Park, slides downhill and dancing.
It only took two days for the rain to wash away that beautiful white blanket. Let’s see what the weather has in mind for us next.
