Winter Garden

Today I planted bulbs I'd ordered a couple of weeks ago. It was sunny and in the low 40s. Following here are some views of what our garden at Long Creek Herb Farm looks like today, December 10. You'll notice there's still quite a bit of green in the garden. Even though we've had nights and days in the 20s this past week, lots of winter vegetables and greens will take being frozen. But first, I discovered this little guy under the leaves as I was planting the last of the bulbs. He's shy, and cold and hardly moving at all. We don't see salamanders often here. This one is a ringed salamander, to read more about Missouri Ozarks Salamaders, check here. After taking his picture, I put him back under the leaves to go about his business of salamandering.

Ringed Salamander. No, it's not a lizard.

Rose geraniums will take quite a bit of cold. This one's been frozen all week yet has enough life left that I could, if I wanted, pot it and bring it indoors.

Above is lemon eucalyptus, which I grow as an annual. It, too, will take quite a bit of cold. Probably I could winter it over in a cold frame but instead I just replant each year.

Cardoon, a vegetable lots of people don't know much about.

Cardoon, too, withstands cold temperatures until it gets down below 20 degrees and stays, then it dies down to the roots to reemerge next spring. Cardoon is a biennial so this one will bloom next summer. Cardoon is a first cousin to artichokes.

Curly leaf lettuce.

Lettuce looks like a fragile plant, doesn't it? We picked several heads today for salad for tonight's supper and some for the refrigerator. This isn't mulched nor is it in the cold frame, this is just growing out in the open bed. Several varieties are all doing just fine.

Japanese red mustard.

The Japanese red mustard has a snappy, zippy flavor that mixes well in salads. It's still surviving in the winter garden.

The chickens get to eat some salad from the garden, too.

One of the herb beds.

You can see we're still fairly green here. This is the bed that contains oregano, marjoram, parsley, thyme, Mexican oregano, sorrel and rosemary. It's all still nice and green, even after the brief snow we had last week.

Billy and his ladies.

Allium and her 2 twins.

So that's about it, late afternoon photos of our winter garden. We're having cabbage and salad greens from the garden with egg rolls and steamed Chinese dumplings. They may not go together, but hey, most of it's from the garden! Hope you enjoyed the short tour of what's still growing in the Ozarks.

Don't forget, if you want to take advantage of our Frankincense and Myrrh Special, visit my website to check it out. For a story of what frankincense and myrrh is, click here, it will take you to another of my blogs. Stay warm everyone.