Winter Harvests

Hi Everyone,

Well, we are into night 4 of 20 degree temps and thought we better go harvest the biggest of the brocc's, so here is what we got today. Also got 4 large heads of cabbage. I think I lost my pea crop, had gorgeous huge plants loaded with pods and flowers. The pods were just filling up with the yummiest peas, but they look like they wont last. Might surprise me though if we can get a few warm dry days. I never tried a Fall crop of peas and so thought I would give it a shot this year. One thing for sure I will buy the same variety for Spring they are awesome. Called "Serge".

What are you all getting in December for harvests?

Here is our cabbage heads, lots more in the garden hope they hold up. I might straw them and carry them over to Spring.

Susan - your broccoli looks yummy. Mine have been doing well, although the heads have been rather small. They were set out as transplants in mostly coir from seed I sowed, so I don't think they got enough nutrition to make large heads. They taste wonderful, though.

I'm so glad I tried a fall crop, because the ones I set this past spring bolted!

It was so cold here over the weekend, I didn't go out to see how they were doing.

Wow Susan what a great harvest you got there. By the way how many broccoli plants do you have out there? Also the cabbage looks great.

My winter harvests for right now are mainly greens, such as lettuce, arugula, just got some chard for the first time. I have planted some broccoli is now forming little tiny heads so hopefuly in a month or so I'll be posting my picture and my cabbages are just little plants right now.

When did you plant them?

Hi Carmin,

I lived in Mobile for a brief time about 9 years ago. I have about 200 broccoli plants in different stages. I am going to put some straw around them today and hope that they will carry over and just start up again in Spring. As you know we don't have to suffer through too long a Winter before tempos start inching up here in NC.

Lisa,
I put those out as seed in about late July early August. We got some bigger heads a few weeks ago, the picture is of the stuff I pulled a week ago and I picked some Friday morning before the snow came in. We are looking at a foot of snow outside at the moment.

Wow Susan you must have a lot of room to grow broccoli, 200 plants, that's great! I am growing some Calabresse right now, my first time growing broccoli, mine are not yet forming heads but I planted them in September time frame so they have a while to go. What type of broccoli are you growing?

I will be starting my sugar peas in January. I thought peas liked the cold weather.

All my broccoil was direct seeded October 4th and is doing well. I can see the slightest flower stalk beginning to form on some. I am growing Calabrese, Di Cicco and Early Dividend. I can't wait for fresh broccoli!

c - peas can take fairly cool weather. It is the blooms that are frost tender. I have Sugar Snaps that were also planted around the 4th of October and I have many little pea pods right now!

Kelly, I just checked my broccoli plants and I am also seeing little tinny broccoli flowers begining to form, hopefully soon we'll be able to enjoy some broccoli as well.

I planted some peas back in September time frame but it was still too hot and my peas did not do well, I was able to collect some but not much, plus my DD loved picking them before they were completely ready and would devour them.

I will try on january time frame when the farmer's almanac says to plant them to see if this time they do better, but we will see.

lol - my kids get a lot of the peas before they make it out of the garden too. I love it that they like veggies though so it's OK by me. My first planting of peas was great until we got 100°+ days in October and I had to replant.

My timing is totally messed up this year. I planted Gypsy broccoli and it all got ready at once and I had to put it in the freezer. I have a few more Gypsy planted later that aren't even starting to head up. I won't plant this variety again unless it is a very few and staggered for early production. The heads were only half the size I was expecting and were loose. They went from peak condition to blooming in only a couple days. They don't appear to even be trying to produce side shoots.

My Calabrese is still young and small. I've got a few Packman that are still very small plants. Waaaaaaaaaaaaa. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I sure hope I don't find myself without next summer since those bags of frozen vegs aren't getting any cheaper.

twiggy - I grow mainly Heirlooms, but one of the few hybrids I grow is Early Dividend broccoli. It has nice size heads and side shoots to boot... and it's fairly early as well... Maybe one you might want to try next time?

Thanks Kelly. Everyone speaks well of Early Dividend. I was looking at Pinetree Seeds and they have a good selection. They have one that even mentions the Early Dividend as a parent. I think I need to stock up on several. Broccoli is one my favorites and I can use plenty of it.

I almost didn't plant any Calabrese. In fact I donated most all of my seed to a community garden. I decided at the last minute to keep a few seeds back. October was about like August and the other broccoli wasn't going anywhere fast so I started some just in case. When November started cooling down, the Gypsy just blew up in a hurry. Last year I was eating Calabrese from mid January until sometime in March. I also need to start writing down things like planting dates because all my new brain cells are coated with teflon.

I have a friend here that has grown ED for a while and she loves it. Grows well in our climate too. That's how I got turned on to it. Sometimes it's hard to find the seeds, especially in smaller quantities. Last year I ordered from Vesseys as most places were out.

The Calabrese I am growing are seeds you sent as well;o) It's a good cropper here and I like the taste. We love broccoli on my house as well. Makes me wish I could grow acres of it! I'm getting better at keeping track of dates and such since I try to practice crop rotation. I also want to know what I really hated so I don't grow it again - lol.

I grew packman. It is the best I think. Pease do like cold weather so I planted them in Sept for a fall crop. I almost got some but they got hit by a hard freeze. The ones that did fill out were yummy! They were called "Serge" I suggest them to everyone.

Twiggy, both Pacman and Early Dividend do well here and have side shoots up until April or May as long as there's plenty of water.

Susan the pictures look great I'll definetely have to try Packman. The serge peas you mention, do you eat the whole thing or do you have to shell them? Right now I will be growing the regular sugar snap peas, I like to put them in salads and to make stir fries with them as well.

Calalily both look really good, does early divident mature earlier than packman? for what I can see in the plant files both of them are hybrids.

Carmin, I'll have to check my records. I can't remember right off hand.

I just spotted 4 little dime sized heads of broccoli. This is from my disaster where it rained so hard it washed away most of my seeds and even the labels and mixed up seeds in the pots. I was able to identify the cauliflower and the pak choi but all this time I didn't know if it was broccoli or cabbage. I just planted everything that came up and called it all good. I think it's more Gypsy but it might be Packman. Either way I'm happy.

We finally got our first freeze in early December, about 3 weeks later than normal. I harvested a ton of tomatoes that were still green on the plants. They're now mostly ripe.

Our lettuce bed is still alive. We cover it up when it drops to below freezing (and/or it snows!) and it's done very well. We uncover it during the day. There've been a few days and nights when we've been able to leave it uncovered, but the worst of the weather usually hits Texas in Jan & Feb. However, we've had snow twice so far in December, which is extremely odd.

Wow stephanie, what a wonderful garden you have. I can't believe your tomatoes lasted this long, we are in about the same zone anad we've already had a couple of freezes. By the way just curious how many tomato plants did you put out? and what tipe of lettuces are you growing?

Yesterday I had to pull out all my arugula since it was too old, and it was being attacked by aphids, I washed it really good though and will probably be making some arugula pesto today and freezing it.
I am also starting a list of maters to grow for this next season, I don't have a lot of room and it is my first time growing maters or at least heirlooms, and I have so many seeds thanks to all the wonderful people here at Daves and also tomatoville that it is difficult to choose what to grow first.

Twiggy I bet the guessing game of what type of plants you were growing without name tags was fun, I love it when my little girl pulls out all the careful placed name tags from my veggies and then I have to figure out which one belongs where. Nevertheless at least they came out for you. I am also wondering whether to start more broccoli plants or not, I have a couple of spots open in one of my raise beds and would love to plant some more but I also want to have the raise bed ready when I have to plant cucumbers and peppers etc... this spring, so I am wondering if the broccoli will be ready to harvest by then or if I should just plant something that will grow faster such as lettuce.

You certainly had a good fall garden stephanie. I wish you'd bring me a sack full of those tomatoes. If I could just borrow some.........

I'm going to try one more round of cole crops. I need to keep this stuff going as long as possible because I'm really enjoying it. The only vegetables I've had to buy for a couple months now is potatoes and carrots. That really helps my feelings. I got some new beds made last week and that just about finishes the whole backyard.

How many sq ft of gardening space do you have twiggy? Right now I have only about 110 sq ft and would love to have the entire backyard as a garden - lol...

I don't know but it's plenty big enough if I didn't have so many daylilies. I need to divide them and fatten them up for spring sales. Now I just want my yard back for fruits, vegs and a wide range of flowers. I also need about 4 hens since Carmen put the idea in my head.

I know I won't get any sympathy from you folks with small city lots. I have 2 acres but I divided it into thirds so I could rent out the two 2/3 acre lots on either side for mobile homes. I got to pick my neighbors and the extra income is handy. I used to want to try having a market garden when I retired but now I just want to feed me, my critters and share a bit.

Sounds like my kinda place twiggy!

Twiggy, that's great about the chickens, we will be able to compare notes. First I and DH have to finish the shed (painting) in the backyard and my DH has to build me the raise bed and then the little playground for the kiddos, so it will take a little longer for me to get my chickens but will do it this year for sure. I was looking at the Mobile's flea market, there is a lady there that sells chickens of all kinds even bantam ( the small ones) which are the ones I am loking to buy.

Yes I so wish I had more land and so does my DH but oh well you have to do with what you got. The problem with me is that we are going to be here for 4 years, we could extend a little longer another 4 years but more than likely they (the coast guard) will move us, so we will have to sell the house for sure and most people that are looking at our house might not appreciate a whole backyard filled with raise beds and no lawn. Most people here don't even know you can grow food expecially in the winter time.

Stephanie, I just noticed your labeled forks in the lettuce patch that is a great idea, thank you!

Thanks, Car! If you use them, use a paint pen to label with. If you use a Sharpie, it'll fade.

The only tomatoes I remember we had were Green Zebras (an heirloom), Pink Ponderosa, and a larger cherry tomato that produced a TON of tomatoes! We also had an Orange Oxheart, which finally produced 1 really HUGE tomato, and a couple of medium sized ones. It was so tasty, too!

As for the lettuces, I planted about 8 different varieties, but I don't have my list handy to tell you which ones.

Ok I'm jumping in. Been lurking, and from what I've read it looks like I got my timing right by accident! My first cole crop I ever planted was last year on Thanksgiving weekend. Well, I'm a whole month behind this year, but that's not such a bad thing now that I look back on our squirrelly weather. It stayed hot forEVER here, then it got rainy. So, no chance to plant those raised beds until TODAY!

But, my eBucket garden is doing just fine. I have 16 cabbages, 7 bell pepper plants (they've survived the dips into the 30s and they all have at least one pepper each!), 4 tomato seedlings that refuse 2 die, and 2 broccolis. I bought broccoli seedlings waaaaay back in Sept. and kept em barely alive thru our heatwave. Well they didn't make it, so I bought another batch that sat in the nursery pots forEVER once again. Then I finally had a break in the weather and planted em out, duh, the night before our first freeze. They were already stressed, then shocked, and all but 2 died. But, today one is 22" and has a head bigger than a silver dollar. And the other one is not far behind.

Today I fed all the veggies with Bocabob's fertilizer mixed with Epsome salts.

Then I tackled making a lathe grid for my square ft. raised beds. The lathe won... Only because the lathes we're bowed and didn't lay straight once I screwed em together. Well, not 2 B outdone, I used screws and twine 2 mark off my sq footage, and then I planted turnips, and 2 kinds of spinach. The temps were dropping so I quit for de day. Will put down 2 types of both carrots n beets this weekend, and more turnips. Also planting mustard and collard seeds in my EBs. I have roughly 60 days til 3/1, and hopefully they'll be cool/cold ones.

This is my story, and I'm sticking 2 it!

Happy New Year!
Linda

This message was edited Dec 29, 2009 9:47 AM

Here's a cabbage, er broccoli, pic.

This message was edited Dec 28, 2009 9:31 PM

This message was edited Dec 28, 2009 9:34 PM

Glad to hear you got it going on Linda. I think there's a lesson in there somewhere like just keep starting seeds and hope to get some cooperation out of Mother Nature sooner or later. The weather has been crazy everywhere this year so it's all just taking a chance it seems. I sure hope it settles down and acts right next year. Boring and predictable sounds good to me. I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year (prosperous in the garden too).

Linda that's a very nice picture, mine are already showing little heads as well, hopefully in about a month or so I'll be able to try some.

Twiggy, today after much thought I decided I will start some more broccoli sets, just like you said it is all about taking a chance, hopefully the weather will cooperate and I will be able to get some broccoli before I have to set my spring veggies.

Carmin,
I'm right behind you on planting more broccoli seeds. I have some from a DG friend. We have approximately 60 more days of (hopefully) cool/cold weather. The broccoli will continue growing until it gets too hot and they bolt.

Once it starts warming up, the buggies WILL attack the plants unmercifully, so prepare for combat!

Linda as soon as I get a little time today I will start some more seedlings, my lettuce patch is finally dying since it is old, the arugula patch is gone and I have plenty of empty spots to place some more things.

Also my DH just installed my new raise bed I am very excited, now I only have to fill it with my home compost and store bought manure and I will be set to plant more things.

I'd love to be out preparing beds in the garden, but it's SNOWING again! Boo!

Stephanie that's a real weird weather expecially for Texas is it not?

I just filled my raise bed today with some home compost and tomorrow I'll be buying just a couple of baggies of Black cow to mix, I did find only one earthworm so I was very dissapointed, maybe I'll start making slushies with all the peels and an old blender to try to get more worm population, I m not sure why there is no more wormies. I will be planting all my onions, cabbage and kolrabi in this bed and if I have more room maybe some beets or lettuces.

Very weird weather! We've had snow 3 times this month already. We normally get bad weather (ice, sleet, some snow) mid-late January - early February. We had snow Christmas Eve. First time in 96 years!

Stephanie just did not realize that you were so up north Texas, you are very close to Dallas, that would definetely make a diference weather wise, I used to live in Corpus Cristi TX closer to San Antonio, just lived there for a year, I remembered it being really hot and humid there and definetely not snow at all.

I grew up in San Antonio & all my family is still there. I very well know Corpus as we used to go there almost every summer! It is hot and humid, for sure! San Antonio is hot & humid enough for me! LOL

Yep, Dallas isn't too far away. Close enough to know where it is, but far enough to never go there! LOL