Winter Gardening

This winter in the South of Finland we have had a disappointing amount of snow. In the capital region it has only been possible to cross country ski where the city authorities have created tracks from snow blower made snow. As a result, these places are very busy with keen skiers and for me, a little too crowded. So since Christmas my skis remain standing by the front door in the hope of more snowfall.

On the plus side, the lack of snow makes travel, walking, and running much easier. It also means other winter gardening jobs can be easily tackled. Before the sap rises, I felled a tree for firewood. A job which deep snow makes very hard work. The logs are stacked under cover and will dry over the coming summer before splitting into more convenient sizes and use. Hopefully, this one large Birch tree will keep our fire and sauna stove going for another year.

Winter is also time for pruning fruit trees and shrubs and the lack of ice and snow is welcome for this work. The weather conditions in Finland surprisingly suit apple and other fruit trees. In every large garden you may see an apple tree. Commercial apple orchards are common in the South-West and apples are a big part of the agricultural industry in the Åland Islands. The Islands have a good deal of sunshine and being in the middle of the Baltic Sea are protected from the worst of Finnish weather. The slightly milder weather means that in the Spring the growers here can avoid the late frosts that can damage apple blossom in mainland Finland.

As I write this in Mid-March, it’s still possible to buy local eating apples in the big supermarkets. Since September it has been delightful to buy seasonal apples from relatively local producers. We have tasted them all this season; Discovery, Zari, Lobo, Amorosa, Santana, and Rubinola are all varieties grown worldwide, and one commercially available Finnish variety called Jaspi.

We have a couple of our own apple trees inherited from previous house occupants. I have no idea what variety they are but they are not very nice apples to eat. In an attempt to improve apple quality, this winter I have given them a really hard prune. Hopefully by re-shaping and reducing the number of branches, there will be less apples but better quality ones come next Autumn.

Soon the tree sap will begin to rise and the ideal time for felling or pruning will have passed. Last week we got our hopes up with temperatures above 10 degrees centigrade and the snow melted away. All the birds were singing joyfully and the Woodpeckers tapping a regular rhythm. Unfortunately it was a false Spring, this week winter has returned with a freeze and snow. Nothing warmer can be guaranteed until after May day.