From the garden today

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Karen

Who needs a grocery store when you’ve got a winter garden! The snow melted a bit so I was able to pull some veggies from the garden. Here is what I harvested today:

Carrots in the snow:

Baby spinach from the greenhouse:

Arugula from the greenhouse:

Kale from outside:

Parsley from the herb spiral:

A couple beets:

A few fat carrots:

A handful of broccoli:

A spring of rosemary and mint also from the herb spiral:

In other news on the farm, the winter birds are here! I’ve counted 7 cardinals, a few bluejays, chickadees, and other birds visiting the feeders. Here is a cardinal:

They gather under the feeder:

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In November’s Garden

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Karen

It is the end of November and I am amazed at how much greenery we still have in the garden.
The swiss chard is crisp. I like to use it in soups and stir frys.

The plants are glossy and the stalks are almost like celery. This was one of my first edible plants in the spring and has proved to be one of the last. I will surely grow swiss chard every year.

The kale leaves are like green lace:

The parsley is vibrant and hardy. It is doing really well in the herb spiral I built this past spring.

The mint has exploded to the point of invasive. I’ll have to make a bunch of mojitos!

We save all of our cardboard and use it as sheet mulch in the garden:

Luke lined the paths of the mandala garden with cardboard:

And finally, the garlic we planted about 6 weeks ago has sprouted:

Does anyone know how to protect these scapes over the winter so I’ll have garlic next year?

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Herb Spiral Update

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Karen

I built and planted my herb spiral about a month ago. I started most of the herbs from seed including cilantro, basil, chives, dill, and parsley. They all sprouted and are thriving! It is amazing to touch the stones and feel the heat they collect and store from the sun. It really makes for a unique microclimate.

Click here to learn how to build a herb spiral.

So many herbs in such a compact space: