Monday, January 14, 2013

January Thaw and Green Growing Things

We in Connecticut are experiencing a short-lived January thaw. Temps today were in the high 50's and the sun tried to peek out from time to time, but already the clouds have thickened and it's getting colder. I decided to visit the garden and amid the detritus scattered all around (my garden clean-up was less than ideal this year) I saw a surprising amount of greenery that was not weeds, but leftover plants from summer. I even harvested a handful of very small carrots that I've been munching on this afternoon, so I suppose I've had a real Harvest Monday!
 Just a few short days ago, the garden above was covered in inches of white! And below...ta-da! My harvest of carrots, which are much smaller than the photo makes them look. Still, it's January 14th!
 I found a tiny little lettuce growing in its own micro-climate, in the pathway, sheltered under one of the rocks that surrounds the bed. Again, much tinier than the close-up makes it look. I'm amazed at its indomitable spirit, living on like it has through freezes and snow, without cover.
 Here's a little flat-leaved parsley peeping out from some autumn leaves and straw.
 And, one of my late-planted kale. There are several, none of them protected. Perhaps they will provide us some of our earliest spring greens, along with some overwintered spinach, which I did protect but neglected to get a photo of.
 There were a few komatsuna plants still hanging in there. It looks like some of the wild critters had been munching on them.
 And a handful of onions that were missed in harvesting because they were too small are sending up their green shoots.
 I also found quite a few autumn-sown arugulas bravely growing among the stones and weeds.
Alas, the cold weather is on its way back they say, but it sure was nice to get outside in the fresh air and visit the garden. And to make the day complete my Fedco seed order arrived with all but a few back-ordered packets in it, so I am getting very excited to start planting in just a few weeks.
Now I'm for hopping on over to Daphne's Dandelions to get my weekly dose of garden inspiration! I especially love seeing the pictures from the southern hemisphere, because they remind me of the good things to come.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, how fun it must be to find all those little hidden treasures this time of year! Enjoy! Nancy

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    1. Thanks Nancy! We'll all be starting our plants pretty soon!

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  2. I love those southern photos too. I can't wait to start planting seeds again.

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    1. Yes indeed, so excited to start the cycle of growth again!

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  3. My grounds are still snow covered, able to see patches of grass.
    Your kale looks healthy. Amazing how so many plants are able to survive and thrive in this cold weather.

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    1. It really is amazing to see those plants! And wonderful to see the bare ground again, but I hear snow is on the way.

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    1. They certainly are! Of course I notice our winters have been milder too.

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  5. Hurrah! Carrot harvest in winter is great. Baby carrots are gourmet you know! :D Enjoy your little reprieve from winter.

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  6. I'm in CT too and loved the few warm days we had. All the plants perked right up and I swear the kale sprouted leaves before my eyes! Nice carrots!

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    1. Thanks you Wonderwoman and thanks for stopping by my blog. What part of the state, east or west? We're pretty far east.

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  7. That lettuce is amazing, as are all the others - they are just so much better at copig with extremes in temperature than mammals aren't they?

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    1. They are amazing and just so hopeful looking they made me smile!

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