I went out in the chill and drizzle and harvested two heads of broccoli this morning. Most of our fall garden is finished--we still have broccoli and onions. Now I'm looking forward to the spring garden. Anyone else harvesting in January?
Everything was harvested here before the frosts hit. Hopefully it won't be long though before I'm out there planting again. :-D
Only in my dreams MG! Frost killed off everything here in November and my gardens are now covered in 2 feet of snow.
That's right Ronni. There are a number of crops that one can grow and harvest in the winter. Swiss Chard is something that I usually do simply because I enjoy eating it so much...and fresh in the winter is a real bonus. Some types of Red broccoli is also possible. Winter purslane (Claytonia perfoliata). You know Mizz R, just because the blanket of winter falls over the land doesn't necessarily mean that it's a wrap for one's garden...especially if you use a cold frame, cloche or greenhouse.
We are in Texas which has moderate winters. I don`t garden in winter simply because #1 I am tired by then and #2 freezer is full and I need to eat what I have already. Picked my last few eggplants end of November.
Ronni, we always put in Swiss Chard (mostly for the chickens since my husband doesn't like it much), spinach, leaf lettuces, onions, carrots, broccoli, and English and Snap peas. Some years an early frost will take out the peas and burn the outer leaves of the lettuces, but we get something fresh until we have to pull and till for the spring garden. Of course, when the July/August heat hits, we don't have much in the garden except tomatoes and peppers, and they are just marking time until the cooler weather arrives. Gardeners learn to go with the seasons and grow what they can when they can!
LOL With - 11 degrees, little will grow here. Uhoh, maybe I should check beneath the 14 inches of snow. There may be Chard from summer. It would be sweet to gather fresh lettuce, but like Ronni, we have all the Summer garden in the freezer to eat. Gotta make room for 2014 garden harvest. Happy 2014 Gardenstewers.
My cold frame is amazing me. Thought for sure I lost it all with these 13* nights. I have beets, boch choy, spinach, swiss chard, rhubarb, horseradish, hollyhocks, herbs and a few first year hibiscus that has survived the cold. I still have parsnips and leeks in the garden. And Swiss chard under row cover. Don't know why we didn't build a cold frame years ago. ( photo / image / picture from Donna S's Garden )
Y'all are blowing my mind! You can grow things in the winter……WHO KNEW??? Seriously, I look at my garden, how miserable it is now that it's cold, all droopy and stagnant and completely dormant, and I just can't imagine how anything could take hold and flourish in that. Mind boggling!
Donna, is there no snow in Virginia? If I had a cold frame, it would be beneath 14 inches of snow. Do you have some type heat in the cold frame? I'm amazed at your ability to grow in January. WOW I want a cold frame AND a green house.
