My Edible Garden

I've been gardening for most of my life and have been a devoted fan of organic gardening the whole time. It just makes so much more sense to work in harmony with Mother Nature than to fight her. Besides which it is better for the planet and better for our bodies. Here you can see what I'm planting and harvesting, with gardening hints and resources thrown in for good measure.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Seedy Saturday Winner & Harvest Monday

Red & Yellow beets, parsnips, carrots
Welcome to Harvest Monday, a great blog hop sponsored by Daphne at Daphne's Dandelions  Stop by her place for links to more wonderful harvests around the world!

This week I didn't get to harvest anything until Saturday because there is still snow and ice around the yard. Before Sat. I couldn't harvest because of the freezing temperatures. But on Sat. I pulled a decent amount of root crops. The tops looked sad and went to the rabbits this time, but the roots, of course were fine. Don't laugh at my pathetic parsnips. I know they are too small, but they tasted fine. I don't think  I got them planted early enough. Better luck next year.

Lettuce is frost damaged under row covers
I have some Agrobon row covers over some of the lettuce bed. This is just layed over the plants and where the snow sat and froze on the cover caused some damage, like freezer burn on meat. But I did pick lettuce and just fed the damaged leaves to the bunnies or the compost depending on how bad they were.

This is where I can see how having the frost blanket over beds inside a hoop house would be great. Funny thing is the lettuce that still has a little snow on it and no frost blanket looks fine and dandy.

This weeks harvest:
Baby lettuce                         17oz
baby carrots                           6 oz
parsnips                                 3 oz
yellow beets, roots only          7oz
Cylindra beets, roots only       4 oz

Total: 2.3 pounds

I have been busy writing more articles for you over on Squidoo, I've added a page here with links to all my organic gardening type articles. I'm currently working on another one about rainwater harvesting; I should have it live in a few days. In the meantime there are some on growing peas, improving soil fertility, using earthworms and several more.

AND THE SEEDY SATURDAY WINNER IS: cathy@home So Cathy if you don't hear from me, shoot my an email hysong AT cableone DOT net and give me your snail mail. Cathy is going to receive a nice big bunch of old fashioned hollyhock seeds.  Don't forget to stop by next Saturday for another Seedy Saturday free seed giveaway!

7 comments:

  1. Colorful root harvest, love them this time of year so sweet and crisp.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your parsnip don't look that small. And you said they tasted fine, see good things come in small packet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Conratulation to Cathy! Your root vegetables must taste really sweet. Your parsnip is a nice size. Ours are usually much smaller.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very colorful root harvest. They are the real sustenance providers of the winter garden. Your lettuce is holding up well. The loss to contact freezing is easily trimmed away and you are left with some nice looking fresh greens.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks everyone! Still those parsnips were pretty puny; I have grown some bigger ones in the past; I just don't think the soil in that bed was all that great. But everything tasted really good.

    Next year I might get some heavy wire to make hoops to clip the row covers to, that will lower the amount of freeze damage. I'm also experimenting with another hoop house out front (which I'll finish building after the worst of winter is over) that will also protect them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for becoming a follower. I'm eager to follow you too. I like that you have so much experience and success in the garden.

    I read about your garden soil. Our pH levels are very high too. We're using sulfur like you,and lots of fish folier, bone meal and blood meal for nutrients. I look forward to seeing more of your lovely harvests.

    ReplyDelete