my garden on the last day of the year

lettuce and endives

I was surprised to find my little lettuce patch still growing. I don't go out to the garden very often these days. I had stopped covering the patch in early December because everything was freezing pretty solid, even with the covering. I didn't realize that these plants would survive. Not really very many plants - probably not enough for a single salad serving - but I think they are photogenic and a good crop to consider expanding for next year. Still growing are (clockwise from top left): purple-spotted escarole, curly endive, oak leaf lettuce and plain escarole.

Lactuca sativa

green parsley

My parsley is another plant that is doing just fine at the end of December. I have given up on covering it.

happy holidays

Skippy posed for a picture by a wreath on the garden gate.

winter garlic

It seems like spring watching my garlic grow.

garlic (Allium sativum)

first snow on the garden

Just a dusting in our area. My dad says it looks more like powdered sugar than snow. It lasted about an hour.

november 30

a toast to the end of gardening season

I think this is about it for my vegetable garden this year. I have one tomato left from the big box of green tomatoes that I picked last month. Pretty much all of the green tomatoes ripened. Outside, I just have carrots, garlic sprouts and parsley left in the garden along with my cover crop of winter rye. We've had a couple of hard frosts and the garden soil is nearly frozen. I'll take a few pictures of the garden plot during the winter - and I am looking forward to planning next year's garden. But for now, here's a toast to a productive and enjoyable season. The beverage is one of my newly invented garden martini's - carrots, celery, cukes and olives!

Topic: martini!

thanksgiving harvest

Today I harvested my Swiss chard and beets. Also, many carrots - maybe half of my remaining crop. It's the day before Thanksgiving. We've been cooking all day. I'll serve these garden vegetables tomorrow.

Daucus carota beets (Beta vulgaris)

first frost

We had a real frost last night. I'm hoping my covered parsley and chard survived it.

field of cow corn

I think this is a field of cow corn. The farmer is finally bringing it in this weekend. Its been raining for the last 2 or 3 weeks which I think may have slowed him down. Even now his tractor is running in deep mud. It looks like about half of the fields have been cut.

thanksgiving menu

I have been planning my Thanksgiving menu. I will have 10 people to serve: my parents, my brother and his family, my mother-in-law and us. I am hoping to serve fresh vegetables from my garden: Sauteed Swiss Chard, Glazed Carrots and a dish of roasted winter vegetables that will include beets. I have lots of carrots, so that one should work out. I'm hoping to have enough chard and beets. One week of growing time left. Temperatures were up close to 70 degrees F today, so things are growing.

beets (Beta vulgaris)

garlic

30 little garlic sprouts are poking up under the soggy leaves. Amazing how fast they are growing!

Allium sativum

late parsley

I've set up hoops and gardening fabric to cover my parsley on cold nights. I wonder how long I can keep using it this winter?

seed sites

I am collecting a list of US web sites (in my sidebar) for ordering seeds for next year. Time to start the planning. I'd like to expand my vegetable space a little and try some heirloom varieties.

S&P