Winter Greens

I don't know how it took me so long to realize that winter is my favorite gardening season.  There aren't the flashy colors of summer, unless you count the citrus, but cool-weather crops are so much easier to grow.  The bugs largely go dormant in the chilly weather, and rain is the most efficient way to water crops.

The white baskets are a trick I learned from Team Benson's Desert Garden on YouTube.  They keep the evil white butterflies from laying eggs on newly planted seedlings.  Once they're stronger, I'll take off the cages.

Yes, I know this doesn't work for everyone.  Even some deserts get hard freezes.  Our coldest night this winter appears to be in the upper 30s, well above freezing and perfectly safe for established plants.

The first broccoli I transplanted has gotten its first head.  Not huge, but two servings is better than nothing, and all its side shoots should take off fairly soon.  Kale and celery are doing very well.  I had to buy green onions, so I planted the roots to go to seed in a few months.

None of the eggplant have died yet, which is a win.  They aren't thriving, but at least there's hope.  Only one garlic has come up.  I'll give it until March, since they really aren't supposed to come up until after winter.

Aside from arugula, the lettuces have been a bust.  Something keeps nibbling on my watercress, and the romaine never germinated.  The only cilantro is one I didn't even plant.  No idea where the seed came from.  But there are a couple of fennel that self-seeded when I pulled out last year's plants.  I had to get more pea seeds, so they only just went in yesterday.  I decided to try my hand at Swiss chard while I was at it, and seeded another round of radishes.  Hopefully, something will start to come up next weekend.