Garden Friday

bluebird house

 It's been a while since we've posted for 

Garden Friday.

Winter has hit us hard,

and there's not much to report.

Here's what's growing going into

the last week of January.

 The cover crops have all but filled the two new raised beds

they were planted in November.

You can read about that here.

They are one of the few green things out there.

 Of course, the garlic needs no attention.

It seems oblivious to our colder-than-usual temperatures

and the abundant rainstorms we've had.

We posted about planting garlic here.

 Surprisingly, the strawberries in the straw bales are faring well.

As I've never grown these before,

some research will need to be done.

Fortunately, the Cooperative Extension website 

offers plenty of information.

 These walking onions were gifted to me by a friend

and I have no idea how to grow them.

So far, they seem to be fairly independent.

Onions are one crop that I want to get really good at growing,

as we use them nearly every day.

 All I can say is bless the rosemary.

It grows in our area, regardless of the weather.

These are currently in the butterfly bed,

a space that they will probably outgrow this season.

One will be moved closer to the veggie garden,

and the other will be given to a dear friend.

Rosemary is a versatile herb,

making itself at home in soups, stews, main dishes and veggie sides.

Potatoes and rosemary are a match made in heaven!

The lavender is still smelling amazing!

This will get severely pruned back come springtime.

I recently used the leaves to make a homemade salve.

The hope is that it can be used in many more applications.

 The poor, pitiful parsley is struggling to grow.

This is one herb that I like to chop up and keep in the freezer

to be added to so many recipes.

The other main reason I grow it is because it is the host plant

for the black swallowtail caterpillar.

We do what we can to support pollinators,

even in the veggie garden.

 I had transplanted a few hearty lettuce plants

into containers several weeks back.

Someone decided that they were perfect winter fare.

 Even those transplanted into the hugelkultur bed

were discovered and thoroughly devoured.

Ugh.

So much for any winter greens this year.

 We've had SO much rain this winter

that all of the straw bales remaining in the garden

will definitely need to be replaced.

They've just been hammered.

They will be used for compost or placed in areas 

around our house that have no grass growing.

One bright spot was that I recently discovered these sweet leek seedlings

that had all but been forgotten.

They will get planted into a large container when the time is right.

It seems like a good idea to wait and see 

what the rest of the winter is going to do.

With everything so unpredictable,

it's difficult for a gardener to plan anything with confidence.

We are happy for any goodness that comes our way.