Winter Vegetable Gardens

I thought I'd start a thread for folks who are either able to grow veggies during the winter months or those that would like a little fix while they wait to start their seeds for spring planting. I'm growing 4 types of radishes, 4 types of lettuce, 3 types of beans and some carrots. (I'll leave the tomatos, peppers and herbs for their respective forums.) My first harvest was today - some radishes: Philadelphia White Box, Purple Plum and Pink Beauty. Pic attached. The carrots have just sprouted, the lettuce was just transplanted from their seedling pots in to the garden and two of the three bean varieties are a month into growing.

Is anyone else doing veggie gardening now? If so, please join in.

Flip

Flip pictures of Philadelphia white box http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/117536/index.html , Pink Beauty http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/99997/index.html, and Purple Plum http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/99997/index.html are needed in the Plantfiles.
Last nights freeze took out the last of tomatoes ,peppers and butterbeans. Have to be content with Broccoli, Cauliflower, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, mustard and turnips until spring.

I recently moved from a 9/10 zone to a SIX - and we already have had a hard freeze here! Planting trees kept me amused last month, but now that we're settled into our new home a bit, the urge to plant, plant, plant is upon me again... I would go with houseplants, but they don't seem to like me much. I think the stuff outside always does better because Mother Nature and The Man Upstairs tend to compensate for my brown thumb :-) I've been shoving pictures of greenhouses under DH's nose. I think he's getting the hint!

I live in Henderson NV and have a nice row of swiss chard about 6 to 8 inches high. Have not gardened in the winter here before so hoping to harvest them soon. I also have 2 young key lime trees that I put into the ground about 6 weeks ago, they had lived prior in pots that I brought inside last winter.....anyone know if the cold will hurt them or if they will take a light freeze. We don't usually get hard freezes here.

FD, I'll get those pics in soon.

Kmom, nice to hear from you. Work on that greenhouse angle. You need to keep growin' stuff if you can.

faronell, if you have true key lime trees, I can promise you they'll not do real well in cold weather. I've had them down here in Miami and they did well but they don't do very well the further north you get. Even central Fla is too cold for them during the winter. Let us know how they do and good luck.

key lime pie...ooooh, a slice of heaven... ANOTHER reason to have a greenhouse - and HEAT it, too...

Interesting thread & I'm glad Flip started it!! At 23 degrees here this morning, my garden is dead except for some mustard greens begging to be picked. All you lucky southern gardeners-- enjoy!! the fruits of your labor while I dream & plan for springtime.
LD

kmom - would you like some houseplant cuttings? I will be cutting back a few varieties of Begonias and 5 varieties of Wandering Jew and would be happy to send you a box to get you started. Both are pretty hardy and fairly easy to root.

JLMK via d-mail and I'll put you on my list. I intend to do the pruning over the Thanksgiving holiday - keep me off the streets and out of trouble. LOL! I will mail either the Friday or Monday after Thnx.

This message was edited Nov 19, 2005 7:41 AM

This is my first year growing a raised bed vegetable garden.

I have Semi-hot peppers, Broccili, Cabbage, Tomatos, Collards, Carrots, Onions, Garlic, Beans, Cucumbers, Peas, Watermelon, Radishs, Lettuce, Spinach.

So far so good. When i get home i will take some pics. I need to find some trellis's for my vining crops.

I have one pepper ready to be picked and the other plants are loaded with baby ones. Radish's are ready in a week...

I love it.
Michelle

Have a zillion fall tomatoes here, hoping we don't get a freeze. Got nipped by frost and the cukes are now history. Fall green beans are flowering am crossing my fingers on them. Early broccoli should be starting to head up anytime now. Second planting still small. Have lettuces: Buttercrunch, Romaine Verte Mar, Green Ice, Red Sails, and Great Lakes in various sizes (I sow some every week or two). I just planted 2 varieties of Spinich but they haven't germinated yet. Have been planting garlic as fast as I can clear out space for it. Plan to plant some carrots tomorrow or Friday (running rather late with those). Want to plant some really early peas (usually plant them on Martin Luther King Day--who knows why--I just got in the habit of it because I'm off from work that day and they have always done well planted then). That about does it here from Houston!

Ok, Houston - now I'd REALLY jeolous! It's only Thanksgiving and I'm already Jonesing for the good stuff!

It's the middle of the day and there is ice on the back patio... I rescued a sweet potatoe and stuck it in a glass of water a few days back, and it now has two tiny white roots. My DD thinks I'm crazy, but just thankful I didn't "rescue" all the sweet potatoes so we can eat some today! Take care & Happy TDay!

Hi all - I've been out of town with the family for a several days over the holiday week (camping at Blue Spring State Park). Glad to see a few posts.

FD - Plantfiles have been updated with some pics and plants.

LD - nice to hear from you. Hope we give you some reminders of how it'll be next spring for you.

meszaros9 - sounds like you've got a bunch of veggies goin'. How big is your garden? Try and post some pics!

dmj1218 - sounds like you have a lot goin' on also. Your lettuce vars. are many of the ones I'm growing now. What type tomatos are you growing? Will you be able to grow thru the winter in Houston? Try to post some pics of your garden if you can.

Also, I should be posting some more pics pretty soon. Everybody have a good day!
Flip

Okay, I promised a few pics so here they are:

Uncle Walt's Vermont Cranberry Pole Beans (courtesy of Big Red). This is the second try - Wilma got the first.

Here's the second picking of Philadelphia White Box, Purple Plum and Pink Beauty radishes.

Here's a new variety of radish for me - White Hailstone harvested today.

Here's the new garden with bush beans and tomatos (five of which are Wilma survivors)

My-tee-fine photos!!!!!!!! The pole beans look great and the radishes have such dark green tops.......don't waste 'em!!! They ARE nutritious!! My Chinese wife stir fries radish greens with garlic & olive oil..dash o' salt... for a tasty veggie side dish! THANKX for the pics!!
LD

Great pics Flip ! When I look at your garden I am tempted to copy yours. Can't wait till you are in full production. Never knew a radish could look so good. I'm not a radish lover but your pictures could change all that...

Thanks LD and TP. I like taking pics of the gardens and veggies and tomatos.

It's been pretty busy in the gardens - I had to stake some of the tomatos today (and have more to do tomorrow) as some vines were draping over their wire cylinders and looking as if they would break. Also, I had to extend the staking so the pole beans can keep climbing. All of the radishes have been harvested so I have to set out another few varities of them.

TP, I know you have some "in-ground" gardening space at your place. You should reserve or create a few spots for some lettuce and radishes. They're easy to grow and taste really good fresh from the garden to the salad bowl (along with the tomatos and peppers). Let me know if you want some seeds.
Flip

Seeds heck ! I'm waiting till your crop is ready and then pull a midnight raid....

LOL! I'd be with ya, T, if ya'll weren't so far away!

Hello everyone.

I will have to wait to post pics till the weekend. I have a 4x10 raised garden bed. By the time I get home it is dark. My neighbors think I am crazy. Who is that weirdo out there with a flash light. :) :) I have to check on my babies. One question, how do you know when your radishs are done. I pulled the soil back on a few and they are so tiny. Size of a nickel. Just wondering. I will give them more time. My romaine lettuce is getting so tall i would say a good two feet. hope that is normal too..

Tplant I saw some of your pic's I like those EB's and you have a lot of space. Good for you.

Aries44- Your pics are great very neat and looks well planned out, I really like how you have it. Those radishs look yummy

What is everyone's favorite vegetable to grow tomato, pepper, beans, etc....
I love pepper's .. Of course were I live I have had good luck with them.
This is my first attempt at the raised bed. And I like it so far.
Michelle

Michelle - when I plant my radishes I dig about a 4" deep furrow and back fill it with a few inches of Miracle Gro garden soil. Then, I lay in the radish seeds and cover them with about an inch of the MG. After they sprout, I thin them out to give them room to grow and basically wait and watch. You can usually see the tops of the radishes and watch them develop.

My favorite veggies to grow, in order, are: tomatos, beans, peppers, lettuce, radishes, cukes and broccoli. In the summer I grow only melons.
Flip

I made my first salad last night. Had some Romaine, onions, a little tiny tinie radish :) peppers, basil and tomato (that was store bought) none yet on my plants. It was yummy. It was neat to go through the garden and pick what i wanted. I picked some beans but my daughter eat them before we even got back in the door. I asked her how they were because I didnt even get one.. :)

I have one question. It is supposed to get down to 40 - 48 degrees this weekend. Do I cover everything?
Michelle

Cover only if the temps will go below 35 degrees. Water well this afternoon. This is to prevent dehydration.

Does this quality as Winter gardening? This is one of a dozen broccoli plants I put in last May. I have been picking from them since late July. I think this little head will be the last for the year. I only plant broccoli in Spring and pick side shoots until a hard freeze. This pic was taken an hour ago.
Andy P

Very cool! Looks like you got more than we did this weekend. But it also sounds like you may miss out on the big storm we're expecting tonight. Oh, boy!

BTW, I had no idea brocolli grew like that! I've had no luck growing brocolli, cabbage or cauliflower. Any timps?

Now that's a great way to grow and harvest broccoli. Just a dozen plants, you say? Wow.

Wonderful thread & pics: I'm living vicariously through you all. My garden now has a thin blanket of snow which the chickens are happily stirring into the leaves and straw we spread on it. This is how I'm "prepping" the soil... easier on the back. :)

Sequee, One spade full of compost per plant, 2 ft. apart, full sun. Lots of water. Encourage paper wasps to your garden as cabbage worm removers (they are cool to watch).
Plant a variety that makes side shoots. This is Green Goliath.
Don't plant them in the same place for 3 - 4 years. Have fun.
Works for me.
Andy P

Do you start the seeds indoors then plant out in early Spring?

Yes, 5 - 6 weeks before last frost. In flats, then into a little cold frame a week or so before dividing and planting. I put bottomless Dixie cups around them for cutworms.

Thanks - I'll give it another go in a few months!

Big Red,

If you're out there lookin' - here's a pic of the Uncle Walt's Vermont Cranberry pole beans. I planted these a few days after Wilma. They are doing great! I started with 5' poles and increased another 3'-4' using string. These things are going wild. They're absolutely loaded with flowers, beans and new growth. Next time I'll start with a better pole system.

Questions - what's the best way to eat these - like regular pole beans or just the beans inside? Also, for saving seeds, I guess you just leave them on the vine until they are ready to fall off? Thanks,

Flip

Flip --- Everything looks terrific. Congratulations. It's fun to watch everything grow! Tell me how you like pole beans ? Never tried them.

TP, I just like to take them off the vine, wash 'em and throw 'em in a pot of salted boiling water until just tender. Add a little butter, salt and pepper and....yum

Here's pic of the first time harvest of the Uncle Walt's Vermont Cranberry pole beans.

Fresh buttered beans tonite! My mother used to saute stringbeans with butter and onions. No matter what I do with that simple recipe it never tastes as good? It looks like one bean is a mouthful...

Here's bean crop #2 - Burpee Brittle Yellow Wax - first picking

Here's some lettuce - Ruby Red, Red Sails and Oak Leaf - ate some last nite!