The winters in this region were quite cold. A heavy snow could fall in a flash, and a single trip outside was enough to frostbite your face.
Vegetable seedlings struggled to survive the winter. When it grew very cold, they had to be covered with blankets woven from straw stalks. If the cold became even more severe, one might even need to buy oilcloth for them.
The snow had to be cleared as soon as possible to keep it from crushing the seedlings. Then, when the weather improved, one had to seize the warmest part of the day at noon to lift the straw covers, allowing the seedlings to breathe. This prevented them from either suffocating or stunting their growth from a lack of sunlight.
All in all, it was a task that required constant care and effort. That was why people could only grow a small amount at home. If the vegetables were planted in the fields, one would have to worry about wild animals coming to ruin the crop, not to mention birds pecking at the sprouts.
