We still need rain really bad even though it rained today. Here in Central Texas we are in a severe drought cycle. The only things left in the garden right now are kohlrabi and Swiss chard. Swiss chard will grow here pretty much year round. The kohlrabi I planted because it is so interesting looking and apparently hardy.
I put it in soups and casseroles. The Swiss chard I put it in soups and stews too and saute the ribs in butter and add cream and Parmesan and it makes a lovely pink pasta sauce. Yum.
I tried to plant lettuce and spinach seeds before the soil got too cool and before the days got too short. The drought was just too hard to deal with. I couldn't keep the soil at the right moisture level for germination for those seeds. This year the looper worms were a real nuisance and took my spaghetti squash plants. Normally I grow it earlier in the year and don't have any nibblers, but I delayed everything waiting of rain this year.
Sometime around March, I'll start getting antsy and looking at seed catalogs online, making lists and eyeballing the current dimensions of the garden for further expansion. I keep meaning to plant a couple of Hansen Bush Cherries, I really should have done that by now, and some asparagas crowns but something always comes up and I lose that train of thought. Tom shows no interest or sympathy for my garden pursuits, he thinks it's a waste of time with grocery stores full of food just a short distance away. I do try to visit the local farmers market that opened up nearby - she even carries the local Bastrop Cattle Company organic, grassfed beef.
For now, I'm happy to see the kohlrabi and chard, but there's not much do in the garden now but dump more leaves in for mulch and wait for longer and warmer days...and rain.
Do you plant your seeds directly in the spring, or do you start them indoors first? I'm already antsy looking at all my seed catalogs, and am going to try and avoid my mistake last year, which was planting waaaay too late!
Posted by: chris | January 07, 2009 at 07:05 AM
Hi Chris,
I usually plant seeds (and bedding plants - the ultimate cheat) right in the garden, but I have a friend who starts things in little flats indoors and she usually gets a good jump start on me. I don't really have a good place to start plants indoors, my house gets almost no natural lighting - 1960's design flaws. Last night I ordered 5 Hansen Bush Cherries and some asparagas crowns. See, blogging about it motivated me to act. Hmmm, I wonder what else that will work on?
Posted by: Julia | January 07, 2009 at 08:16 AM