Tuesday, December 8, 2020

December Winter Garden

I realize it's been a month since last posting. The gardens have been feeling weary, barely growing. The cauliflower and broccoli seem to be making head way, pun intended. But I think the snow froze the cauliflower to its core. 

 

The rows of cauliflower, broccoli, kale and radish were covered with cloth then covered with plastic sheeting overtop the hoop piping. 

Last week when the snow came, there was an ice pond on top of the plastic sheeting which became weighed down and hurt the plants. This past Sunday, I readjusted the cloth and plastic sheeting, and reinforced the hoop piping with metal stakes in the ground. This particular garden is very cold, and has a dark, chilly hillside as it is North facing. 

At my other wintery garden. I have kale and radish growing. They're covered the same way, with cloth over top and plastic sheeting over the hoop piping. This acts as a mini greenhouse. This garden is South facing and gets mostly full sun, so this garden tends to thrive more than my other garden. 

I have a picture here of one of the weirdest radishes I've grown this garden year. I had some large radishes this year, and this one is definitely one of the largest, but it's mostly the weirdest shape. 



Out of everything this fall and winter, particularly this garden year in general, I have picked mostly radishes. The kale this past fall season grew enough for a couple of harvests to eat, but it has been a slow grower this winter. 

The remaining winter, I will be tasked with cleaning up debris, organizing supplies, ,storing materials, composting, mulching, cutting back brush and weeds. You name it, I'll be doing it. 

Overalls, swamp boots and a thick coat and gloves are an essential this cold season, so don't forget to use them!

To keep busy in this time, we either stay indoors doing crafts or fiddling with the indoor plant garden or work in the gardens outside. 

Pictured here, I have decorated our door with pine cuttings and ribbon. And a picture of the indoor potted plants with Prince, the cat.