Sunday, December 06, 2009
Here's a look at what I picked from the garden on Thanksgiving day: beets, kale, and leeks. We used the beets and leeks in our Thanksgiving meal and the kale for another dish.

I have a good crop of leeks this year--probably the best I've ever grown. Beets, however, seem to be in constant shortage. I never seem to plant enough to suit my appetite for them. Next year, I'll definitely plant more. And more kale, too.


Here's how the garden looks today. We had our first snow yesterday. Last weekend I mulched around the artichoke plants and covered the asparagus and garlic beds with leaves raked from the yard. I'm trying to keep the artichoke plants especially well mulched so that the crowns of the plants will make it through winter. In our Zone 7, we are teetering on the edge of temperatures that would kill globe artichokes in the winter, so this is a bit of an experiment to see if they'll make it. We had 5 very tasty artichokes this year. Not many, but they were so delicious (and such pretty plants) that I feel they're worth the effort.

Earlier this week, our neighbors gave us some of their extra Jerusalem artichoke bulbs to plant. Unfortunately, the timing and weather make it impossible for me to get them in the ground right now. Jerusalem artichokes will grow here, but they can be invasive (unless we eat them all, of course!).


Here are the brussels sprouts I grew this season. I haven't harvested any yet, as I was hoping they would get a little bigger. They seem to be opening up more than getting any bigger, though. I will probably harvest a few and try them out this week. Last year, I had NO success growing brussels sprouts, so this is good progress.

13 Comments:

Blogger Erica Smith said...

Nice to see the update and glad you found the photo of the harvest! Thanks for your email too.

With the brussels sprouts, I wonder if the opening up is the result of the variant temperatures we keep having. It did feel like spring for a while there.

7:16 AM  
Blogger Jo said...

It's nice to still be harvesting at this time of year. I've got some Brussels sprouts in the ground too, I'm hoping to have them with Christmas dinner.

4:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was so thrilled to be able to pick a small head of cabbage for our thanksgiving dinner!

12:35 PM  
Blogger WashingtonGardener said...

That frozen brussel sprout is ho I feel today.

3:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,
Glad to see your post today. I have total failure with Brussels sprouts this year, all I got are tiny heads on small plants. What did you do better this year to get good yield?

2:05 PM  
Blogger Ed Bruske said...

Happy holidays, Christa

7:48 AM  
Anonymous ConventGardener said...

I love your blog! Keep up the good work. heres wishing you a happy and warmer new year!

10:33 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Wheres global warming when we need it? Have a good new year and a warm spring.*PEACE*

10:36 AM  
Blogger Shady Gardener said...

We've grown brussel sprouts in the past. It seemed that the longer they stayed on the plant, the more bitter they became. Hope yours taste great - the photo was fun!

9:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great article you got here. It would be great to read a bit more concerning this topic. Thank you for posting that information.
Joan Stepsen
Wise geek

6:19 AM  
Blogger Matron said...

Yes, Jerusalem artichokes are impossible to get rid of if you don't want them. I planted mine in an unwanted edge/corner and I dig all of them up every year. They always come back!

3:59 AM  
Anonymous Dirty Girl Gardening said...

I agree with the beet planting... I usually do some in pots since the foliage is so pretty - and about half way through the fall or summer, when the rest have been harvested - I can't help but steal them out of my poor flower pots. They are much larger but still taste great.

6:57 PM  
Anonymous Chris Studying Mulching said...

Hi! I'm currently reading up on mulching and saw your post. How thick should this 'mulch' layer be? Do you cover the entire plant with leaves? Is it just a one-leaf layer? Should mulching be done all throughout the year?

Thanks!

10:38 AM  

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