Still eating fresh out of the garden?

[Ruth_10]

I had good luck last fall digging up my parsley plant, getting as much of the root ball as possible and a good slug of soil, putting into into a pot (I used an empty kitty litter bucket), and keeping it over the winter in our unheated sun room. I cut parsley from it all winter and spring.

I had hoped to be able to plant it out again in the spring, but it died back eventually. The times I've left it outdoors to winter over it hasn't survived, either. It does get cold here and there's usually not much (any) snow cover to insulate things, plus animals munch on it.

[TZ-OH6]

We've had frosts for a month now and a little snow yesterday, but the brussel's sprouts are still in the garden, as are chives and parsley.

Delicata squashes are still good (but not straight from the garden). We finished the last of the few potatoes we grew last week.


When it first started getting cold and I needed to prep that part of the garden I pulled up the parsley and then decided to pot it up so I stuck the bare root plants into a big pot, and it re-rooted fine.

[cdbva]

I may try putting the pot on the porch. Porch parsley. This house is dark everywhere.

Christine

[piegirl]

Been picking about 2 cups a week of small broccoli heads for the last 3 weeks. Yesterday's was probably the last. Parsnips are still in the ground. And picked a large amount of parsley yesterday to freeze. Many years my plants live over and produce a fabulous amount in early spring, then go to seed. Aw - the brussel sprouts - incredible plants w/ lots of very loose leafed florets - nothing solid to eat, don't know the cause but they are cute. Don't think anything will come of them. Piegirl

[Marko]

Originally Posted by piegirl

Aw - the brussel sprouts - incredible plants w/ lots of very loose leafed florets - nothing solid to eat, don't know the cause but they are cute. Don't think anything will come of them. Piegirl

Too much nitrogen and/or high temperatures. I fertilize brussel sprouts with some compost at planting time and add only P and K later.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Just picked the first to blush Old German, picked a jalapeno that came off w/ some leaves and had a blossom on it!

[Ruth_10]

I had some BS with loose heads this fall. We had very uneven temperatures and also some of the plants got topped by wild varmints.

Even with the loose BS heads, in my experience they still are great when cooked up.

[b54red]

Since we had a pretty good freeze a few nights ago I've got an abundance of green tomatoes and green bells. Mustard greens are doing good and tasting better. Lettuce is just starting to be picked. My cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and carrots are coming along and if the weather cooperates will be ready before too long.

[Ruth_10]

I was hoping to get out to the garden today and bring in some more carrots and BS, but it poured buckets all day. Tomorrow night is supposed to get down to 15 F. Oh well.

[cdbva]

Saturday it was supposed to frost overnight, so I planned to go over to my garden, which is about 4 miles from the house, and dig up a parsley and see about harvesting the one cauliflower that might have made it to maturity.

But it began to snow that morning -- big, wet flakes that looked like they'd come to nothing. However, they got smaller and started coming thick and fast. I thought I'd wait it out, but finally, at 4:00 with no end in sight, I got into my car and slithered out to rescue the vegetables, which by now were under a few inches of snow.

I poked around and found the brave little parsley. The cauliflower had grown since I'd seen it several days before, and he was ready to bring in.

Then I went back to my car, which I'd parked in the usual place -- just off the road. However, the wheels just spun around and dug little ruts in the mud. I sat there for 10 minutes, moving hardly at all, and thinking I was going to have to call Rick to come and get me -- which would have been hard, as my cell battery was dead -- but then suddenly the wheels caught and I was out of there. I don't know what they caught onto, but I didn't stick around to ask questions.

I decided to cook the cauliflower so I'd know what fresh cauliflower was like -- sauteed it with garlic and chives, basically. It was really lovely. What is it about something fresh that makes it so good? It tasted like an ordinary cauliflower, but with something special that made it amazing.

So that's the last of my garden. Ah well.

Christine

[veggie babe]

All I have left is kale, collards, onions, and turnips. Ruth, I lost all of my BS to varmits too. This was my first year to grow BS and I was so excited and I knew I would get tons of little green heads so I didn't plant cabbage. Lesson learned don't count on anything in the garden. It has been a good year though thanks to all of you at TV helping me learn new and different ways to garden. Thank you again to those of you that shared your tomato seeds with me, you are the greatest. I am ready for next year.

Thanks again,

Neva

[cdbva]

I went out to the garden this afternoon after work to get a little exercise; it's kind of fun to walk around and see what everyone else has planted/has left.

My in-ground parsley was still alive, and looking rather better than the plant I brought home, which is noticeably disgruntled in its pot. I've been setting him on the porch every day; he is not mollified.

The cauliflower leaves, all eight sets, looked as well as ever. I found another (doomed) plant that looks as if it's just begun to set. The frisée and the mustard greens look as if they'd never seen any trouble, except for the one frisée I stepped on the other day because I didn't see it in the snow. That one was a little flat, but still cheerfully plugging away.

It's going to get down to 24° tonight. What a shame!

Christine

[Ruth_10]

I got out to the garden last night at 8 p.m., flashlight in hand and bundled up to the nose against the wind and cold. I took a box and the loppers (for trimming tree limbs) with me and cut 2/3 of the BS plants off at the base with the loppers and brought them into the garage. The plants were frozen solid, probably with a layer of ice on them as well. I know when I dropped one of the plants on the ground, several leaves shattered. It got down to 8 F last night, so I'm glad I got them inside. I'm just hoping they're still okay to eat....

Supposed to get down to single digits again tonight. At least the wind has died down.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Pulled my pepper plants out of the garden tonight after dark. Realized it was going to 29 tonight, had a couple nights under 32 already. They're in their new winter digs in the garage.

[cdbva]

It got down to 25 last night. My sage seems untouched. Does anyone know if there's anything I should do to protect it over the winter? Mulch, etc.?

Christine

P.S. I am jealous of all you guys who have BS!