Snow as "sexy" insulation for the hoop houses in the Kitchen Garden... UPDATE AFTER JUMPA history-making storm is in Washington, DC, and still dumping snow across the tri-state area. During a press briefing this morning, to discuss climate change and health care reform, President Obama apologized for getting everyone out in the snow, but added that he likes the snow itself.
"You know that I am from Chicago," President Obama said. "So let me first say that with the place where I live covered with snow I’m finally starting to feel like home."
As for the Kitchen Garden: The hoop houses that were installed in the garden on December 4 are themselves covered with snow, and the snow should prove no problem for the crops that are growing. It is possibly even warmer inside the hoop houses than it was before, thanks to the added insulation factor of the snow (why are igloos built out of cold snow? Because they are warm inside). And don't forget, insulation is sexy, which the President himself announced earlier this week during a visit to a Home Depot. The hoop houses have already protected the crops from snow before; immediately after their installation, there was a light snowfall in DC. We'll let you know how the crops in the garden survive the Big Snow; the crops currently include spinach, lettuce, carrots, mustard greens, chard and cabbage.
UPDATE: Sunday, Dec. 20: The snow was cleared from the hoop houses, which withstood the snowstorm just fine. More than eighteen inches of snow fell in DC, but everything in the Kitchen Garden is "great, just perfect," according to a White House source.
