It's closing in on winter-for-real here in upstate New York. While the rest of the world falls into the clutches of the military industrial complex and all the money anyone associating with the war machine (think about whether this means you please) is going to make this new year, my hometown is expecting to be under a nice layer of snow. Ski slopes have just started opening, traces of Santa are disappearing back into the fantasy land they came from, and zombies are walking around wishing for world peace.
I digress! You're not here to hear my thoughts on the state of the world, you're here to hear my thoughts on the state of my garden!
Ten years ago, I would have said that I love winter, because I get to put my garden to bed under a beautiful blanket of snow, and, even though it still looks good, I can take off my gardening shackles for a few months, because there is nothing to do in my garden.
That was back when I wasn't trying to produce my own food, and the only thing I grew was perennial flowers.
I thought I was such a hot shot with my gorgeous flower garden. Why not give growing vegetables a shot? How hard could it be?
Five and a half years into my vegetable-producing years, my truly golden years, I've had my comeuppance. Growing vegetables is closer to raising human beings than it is to growing flowers. Tons of time! Gobs of caring! Year round work!
Here's a shot of my vegetable garden, taken just a few minutes ago, on January 1st, 2024. Happy New Year, y'all.
Here's the good news:
I still have quite a few edibles out there. Yesterday I harvested a nice bunch of parsley, enough arugula for a couple of salads, more kale than I can eat, and enough fresh herbs to last me the rest of January. I've been breaking into my winter stores of potatoes, onions, and canned goods. I hope to have lots of my home grown food to eat every single day until spring returns and I can begin anew, cultivating, caring, and giving.
Here's the bad news:
I see a LOT of work to be done! I see that I am already far behind on the work that needs doing in the spring, because I got so little of the work that needs doing in the fall done before the snow started to fall!
Like cleaning up the messes:
Turning 45 degrees to my right, I see a disgraceful mess of cannas and dahlias left to freeze to death. Rolls of chicken wire I don't have room for in the garage. I can't look. I don't want to talk about it.
There's groovy plans afoot as well, though. See that door on the side of the garage, a mere dozen steps to the closest raised bed? I've been busy rearranging my garage so that the closest car bay will be mostly storage of, and access to, my gardening supplies, and will also house a six-foot workbench for all sorts of cool goings on. Tasks in the garden should get much easier to attend to when I've gotten that all set up nicely, my she shed.
That's all folks! At least the winter's garden update posts can be short and sweet!
This is my entry to Hive Garden Community's first monthly garden challenge for 2024.
Please come join us, all ye faithful gardeners of the world!
Fantastic to be getting food from the garden at this time of year. I have lettuce, spinach, chard, carrots, beet and kale, enough to last until spring. I'm looking forward to the new planting season which isn't far off now. It's a lot of work but with tons of rewards.
I now wonder how I ever survived a winter without my home grown food, I feel so crummy after I eat out in this town. And the veggies in the stores now seem inedible, probably kinda are. The rewards are many!
You must be in a similar planting zone to mine, no? Planting season is soon? And all that stuff is still coming in from the outside, or you've stored it?
I have lettuce, spinach, chard, spring onions and kale plants still producing in my dome, carrots in the ground covered in hay, and beets in storage. I usually start planting indoors in mid-February, then in late Feb and March, I have onion and garlic sets to put down.
So you're a good month ahead of me. You're so cool.
You've reminded me I must order my onion sets, and my seed potatoes soon! I saved a few small potatoes for seed potatoes, but not enough. I now love potatoes - that's one of the veggies I simply didn't develop a taste for until I grew my own.
Happy New Year! We're hunkering down for real winter too. We've been lucky so far in this part of the country but January always brings the subzero chill.
Have you every heard about this book? Our son is about to buy his first house and has shown an interest in gardening so we bought it for him for Christmas. I liked it so much I bought us a copy.
I have not seen that one, but it looks really useful. Everything you need to know. Thanks for the heads up.
My daughter is on the brink of "buying" (borrowing enough money to buy) her first house too. I went to see it, and it has a great yard for veggie gardening, not that she has any interest in that. But at least she will have the potential, and a mother to support her. . No contract signed though. She lost confidence in her realtor, and pulled out. She hopes to go back in with a new realtor.
I spent one uneventful but restful night in Columbus a few nights ago. Thought of you!
Happy Happy New Year!! It looks to be a rough ride for all of us, so hang on!
You're welcome! It really is a good resource.
I wish your daughter the best of luck. It's a tricky market. Our son hasn't made any offers yet and still thinks he wants to be in the city. We're trying to talk him into buying a house with some land on the outskirts.
Where did you stay in Columbus? I plan on coming back within the next month or so to spend time with Mom.
Thanks! I have the same feeling about 2024. It's more important than every to be as prepared as possible and grounded.
I stayed here. I think it was on the NE side of the city, very near the airport. I didn't do anything other than grab some Greek fries at the corner bar.
Happy New Year @owasco
The very same to you @myjob!!!
Thank you @owasco
Happy New Year!
I like your plans for the garage :)
Also, I don't know why, but I like photos taken through fly screens :D
haha! Yup! I didn't even bother to go outside to take my shots. Thanks for looking so closely, and for reading to the very end!
@owasco I think you are lucky to live in an area where the snow is big. I have been fond of seeing snow fall since my childhood but till now I have not got such a chance. But hopefully I will get a chance next month. Because our college will go on a trip to Murree and I will see the snowfall there which I have been waiting for since childhood.
I hope you get a beautiful snowfall!
To harvest your veggies must feel awesome 🤩👍🏽Happy new year @owasco A job well done on cleaning your garage. I hope you get all things sorted out and your garden looking as impeccable as you would love.
It's lovely to eat stuff I grew myself. I love to give it away too. Hopefully this coming year I'll be able to do more of that. Thanks for stopping by!
Hopefully, you will. The pleasure is always mine
Your garden is so productive! Mine is mostly for hobby, I feel. I've also been building my soil for the last few seasons. My goal is to be as productive as you. I can't wait to get home to my garden but not too thrilled about snow... haha!
Oh my friend, I have many failures! When I think of how much I could produce, if I knew more and worked harder, I am astonished. Anyone with a tiny patch of land could grow a great deal of their own toxin-free food.
It's true, I can definitely work harder too!
Wow! Snows around. No vegetable can survive.
Happy New Year! ^_^
That’s ok, mine look much the same. And like you, lots of plans but who knows if they will happen?
You get a lot more done than I do! Good luck with your plans for this year!
Oh dear. I understand! Can I suggest the old 'hour a day' trick? It helps you get there 'in the end' without being too overwhelmed. Sometimes I reduce that to 'one thing a day' - like, I JUST managed to put some straw in the compost.
I find the passing of time on HIVE extraordinary sometimes. Like how did you get to this point of eating your winter stores raised in YOUR garden that you seemed to only have moved into last week, and were dreaming about how you'd manage it?
I like the one thing a day technique and have used it for messes in my house, especially when I moved here, almost 2 1/2 years ago now, unbelievably. I'll have to employ it outside, too. Thanks for the reminder. If I did one thing a day, however small, the job would be well done by spring.
I know what you mean about the passing of time here. Maybe reporting on something fixes it in time somehow, so that it feels as if it was just the other day.
I'm glad that the reminder made you see it as do-able. WE're employing that strategy both inside and out with only just over a month before we leave!
It's very inspiring to see what you've accomplished in such a short amount of time in your new home.
It's super cool that you managed to make some nice food stores for yourself over the winter, and this winter really has a hunker down and relax vibe to me. Are you taking tokes in that she shed? I hope so ;)
I'm sitting here looking at seed packs while reading your post. Mayhaps I'll plant some stuff outside in the spring. I say that every year but maybe I'll actually do it this year.
It's always a pleasure to witness your amazing talent my friend.
I am curious about arugula. Are they still growing with cold weather? I love them but I only grow them in summer so far.
I have them under a hoop with fabric over them, and as of last week, they were still nice and crisp. I haven't been out to check on them since we got consistently much colder weather though. I know they can withstand quite a bit of cold.
Oh cool. That's good to know. I was afraid that I can't grow normal beans in pots as it needs something to support its foliage but seeing how you did with your bean gives me some ideas.
Oh I just realised that I commented on the wrong post. Sorry my mind was lost wondering around gardens after gardens at that time :)
I might try to grow arugula this winter. It is not too cold where I live so if they can survive a bit of cold, that's perfect.
Arugula can take a lot of cold! Definitely try it. I'm gonna try a couple varieties next year, very short rows (18" or so) of each.