The Late Winter Garden

Working up the soil for planting potatoes got me really thinking about the spring garden.  The tomatoes and peppers continue to grow, and it won't be long before I take a measured risk and put them in the ground.  The spring garden is exciting.  For some reason, my favorite thing to plant is green beans.  Perhaps because it reminds me of one of the first things I planted.  In elementary school we planted beans in a paper solo cup and marveled each day as they grew.  Forty-five or so years later and I still haven't lost the wonder at watching seeds grow.

Anyway, before we plant the spring garden, we'll need to harvest plants that are growing in the fall/winter garden right now.  Plants like carrots, chard, kale, beets.  Plants like cabbage and broccoli.  Weeks after cutting off the main broccoli head, we're still enjoying fresh broccoli.  Broccoli is an interesting crop.  Unlike cauliflower, it keeps sending out shoots of these little florets.

We pick those little tender florets and find that they are perfect for stir fry.

The sugar snap peas really enjoy growing this year.  I kid you not, they are eight feet tall and growing!  The last front brought strong winds that broke some off the trellis, but for the most part, they are still thriving.  We're beginning to pick lots of peas.

There's an old adage that says we should "bloom where we're planted."  The sugar snap peas are definitely doing just that.  Not only do they produce delicious peas, but the flowers are very nice, too.

We like to pick these while they are young and tender.  Sometimes I'll just stand out in the garden by the trellis and snack on them, right off the trellis.  When we do cook them, We don't overcook them.  We like to eat them when they are bright green and crunchy.

The bok choy has all gone to flowering and will soon go to seed.  I'll probably feed half of them to the goats and cows and the other half, I'll save the seed.

Cilantro comes up volunteer in the garden now.  It likes cooler temps.  The first sign of warmer weather and it bolts.  It sends up a stalk and flowers and is no longer good to eat.  Before this happens we like to pick and freeze the leaves and tender stalks for later. 

Here is the patch of Red Russian kale.

Here is our lettuce patch.  Different varieties like Black Seeded Simpson, Red Romaine, Oak leaf lettuce, Rocky top blend and butter crunch lettuce.

Here is a patch of mustard greens.  If you listen closely, they are calling for cornbread.  Mustard Greens and Cornbread go together like peas and carrots.

Here is a side view of some of the colors of the winter garden. 

Soon we'll harvest all of the remaining items holding fast since last year.  Then it will be time to sow seeds and once again marvel at the miracle of the metamorphosis from a seed to a healthy plant.