Recent Activity in the Garden

Recent Activity in the Garden

Some people think that a garden has to just sit around between the first and last freezes of winter. This is just not so. You probably will not get everything your table requires during this time; but you can get something. Better still, you can play in the dirt and prepare the garden for the next season.

On the 7th I planted potatoes, beets, carrots and radishes. The potatoes will not come up until the soil warms in the spring. On the 8th I planted lettuce, spinach and turnips. I plant these things at regular intervals all winter long. Usually we have a little something fresh from the garden to supplement the store-bought and canned goods. Arugula, for example, only suffers for a few days from each hard freeze. It makes really great salads and the freezing actually seems to enhance the flavor. Collards don’t seem to even freeze. Turnips and mustard greens wilt and then send out new leaves. Broccoli slows down a little; but it keeps growing.

On the 9th I tilled the last part of the garden that did not get tilled at the end of the season. The soil was a little damper than I like (between 5 and 6 on the moisture meter); but rain was called for last night. I knew it would be a while before it could be worked and I wanted to lay out the beds and cover them with leaves. That will be my next task in the garden.


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com/ , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.