February 2026: The State Of The Backyard Garden
Our frost cover had collapsed during Winter Storm Fern so I had to redo it in late February. Admittedly, it looks like it could be part of a homeless encampment:
The last Saturday in February & it looks like Spring temperatures from here on out so I removed all the frost covers. Some things hung on better than others.
Our only Swiss Chard to survive:
The greenery died back in the cold but the carrots are recovering:
The hardware cloth is squirrel prevention. Squirrels don't eat spinach but they destroyed our first planting last Spring with their obsessive digging:
Female Downy Woodpecker. We're always glad to see them in the garden. They are serious insect pest control. A few years back, I watched a Downy peck Squash Vine Borers out of a squash vine:
Our cool season vegetables had a tough time but this little succulent dealt with the cold like a champ: