Friday, January 24, 2020

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.




8 comments:

  1. An unpredictable winter indeed. Happy you are feeling better. Although there is a lack of much happening in the garden I'm sure the planning wheels are spinning!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Yes, I'm sure spring fever will be hitting any day now! ;0D

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  2. Wow, your garlic is way ahead of ours. That's sad about your lettuce. For some reason, our lettuce patch just isn't growing this year. I've fertilized it several times since September, but it's just staying small. I was hoping our peas would be up by now, but not yet. It's definitely time to begin dreaming of garden plans.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there are always more seeds to sow! ;0D

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  3. I love your straw bale garden. I often wish we had enough sun to grow more food but our neighborhood has so many trees our yard has barely any full sunlight spots. I have to content myself with watching your garden. :)

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    Replies
    1. There's never enough space to grow food! ;0O

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  4. Daisy, hello from some what cold Nebraska. Any day during January or February that's above freezing is a good day. This winter has had its moments but over all it's been a relatively deceit one. We've had about 15 inches of snow total but only one or two inches at a time. Of course we still have 6 to 8 weeks of Winter left and any thing can and usually does here in Nebraska.

    I've had the itch to get back in the soil so I've been working at cleaning up and getting the seed starting station ready to start planting seeds. I start with onion seed on Valentine's Day. There's no sweet hearts in my life so seed planting is my choice of enjoyment. I do like to see that others have things growing in the Winter months. It gives me hope and inspiration for the day that I can be back out digging in the soil.

    Have a great day in the garden.

    Nebraska Dave
    Urban Farmer

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    Replies
    1. Great to see you here, Dave. Yes, it's about that time when we all get the itch to plant. Only a few more weeks, and we'll be battling the bugs for our goodies!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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