With snow blanketing our area last night and this morning, one has to wonder what all this winter weather means for early planting and greenhouses that have already sprung up in the Northeast Kingdom.

Even though the kickoff for greenhouses typically doesn't begin until Mothers Day, the preparations for those houses have been well underway. Anyone living in Northeastern Vermont can tell you, the growing season is highly variable from year to year, especially in the springtime.

Suzanne Taylor, the co-owner of Artistic Gardens, says "We actually have an alarm system, if we're in the store it'll call us there and if we don't answer there it calls at our house, so it keeps the air circling if the temperature should drop too low for any reason: if the power goes out or if the furnace kicks off or anything."

Doors and windows of the greenhouse will be shut when the snow falls, and the furnace and blowers will be turned on, keeping the inside much warmer than the outside air temperature.

After Tuesday nights accumulation, a tractor was used to move the snow away from the building so the snow can slide right off the roof and be taken away.