National Weather Service is forecasting snow today. It’s hard to be thinking of garden planting on days like today, but time is running out on getting the garden well tilled, compost and manure tilled in to the soil.
Garden soil is very dry, we have had less than 2 inches of rain in the past 3 months. This makes working the soil difficult at best.
Garden seed has arrived. I plant mostly summer, warm/hot weather vegetables in the spring and a few cooler weather vegetables like turnips, collards and beets in mid to late July for fall harvest.
I needed a few canning jars and lids for the up coming canning season. Much to my surprise jars don’t seem to be in short supply but quality Mason/Kerr and Ball jar lids are difficult to locate.
I finely after many attempts managed to buy 5 dozen regular and the same number of wide mouth Ball brand lids from Walmart.
Be aware that some brands of jar lids on the market have been reported to have up to a 50 percent failure rate.
In this event your only choices are to refrigerate and consume those jars of canned fruits/vegetables in the next few days or to replace the lid and reprocess those jars in the hope they seal on your second try.
Happy Gardening
Town & Country Gardening 
Two years ago, we began to have difficulty finding canning lids. We tried a “re-usable” variety (Tatler brand). They have a plastic lid with separate rubber ring… sort of like the old-fashioned glass lid with ring. You need a special opening tool to not break them when you open the jar. Anyway, they are a bit fussy to learn the correct pressure for sealing them, but now they are working great. We have used them successfully twice now. We use them for items we use ourselves, but not for items we give to friends (who are not likely to return them intact with both lid and ring). As with many re-usable items, they are more expensive, but if they last for many years, they will cost less in the long run and not add more one-use metal lids to the landfill. -Oscar
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I don’t do canning myself. However, I have two 4′ X 8′ cold frames that my husband made for me. One has two large windows covering it. The other one just has two layers of frost barrier cloth. We were eating lettuce from the cold frames up until about two weeks ago. The lettuce is still in there, but due to the ice build up on and around these two beds, I can’t get in there any more until it thaws. I am so thrilled with these cold frames and recommend them to anyone who wants to extend their seasons. If I can do it, anyone can do it! It’s always so disappointing to have to buy the poor quality of lettuce you find in the stores. Looking forward to the next thaw!
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I have 3 months yet for the snow to clear and the frost comes out of the ground
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In Southern Ontario, Canada, no outdoor gardening until the soil thaws, at the end of March … but seed catalogues are great right now, to browse while enjoying a cup of tea. Thank you for the warning about those faulty jar lids.
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I agree on canning lids! Buy good ones, nothing more discouraging than to find jars have broken seal and gone bad! Time to get garden worked up for potatoes and beets.
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17 below. the only thing going on in my garden is snow-covered. But it is a great time to go through seed packets and see what I will plant, meanwhile I plant myself in my craft room working up wreaths and faux flower arrangements to keep me warm!
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