Gardening has Changed Me

As most of the US, Texas is in the midst of a mild winter. Northerns probably laugh; saying that all of our winters are mild. Me, being a Texan, I LOVE the mild winters. I enjoy the highs of 55 and lows of 46 that we usually experience. And if we can get a few days of 65-70 in the winter, I'll take it!

Until now.

What's different? Now I have a garden. I can't quite manage to fully enjoy the 70 degrees that it was today! There was a time when I would absolutely love these 70 degree days in January. A time when I didn't understand why it had to get cold at all. But gardening has changed me. Now I understand that cold temps sweeten carrots and lettuce. Cool temps tell broccoli that its time to show its head. Now I wonder, what will these mild winter days mean for my garlic; my onion? Will they skip the bulbing phase and go straight to a flower? Will I pay for these beautiful 'winter' days with inferior bulbs come late spring?

 Yes, I used to enjoy warm winters. But gardening has changed me. Now I can only wonder, will my garlic meet the same fate that some of my collard greens have?



Collard Greens in full bloom (BOLTED!) in January!!!!!