Spinach

One of the hardest things to get right is spinach germination in my down South garden. My planting guide does not recommend planting spinach in January. Breaking the rules however  I went outside with my packet of spinach seeds, found a sunny spot, and sprinkled away. Date of sprinkling 1/15/17. Date of seed leaf appearance 1/23/17. What?! It worked. They are now doubled covered with Agribon19 until it warms up a bit. Incubating.

Spinach, left, on March 1, 2017. They all germinated! Now what?  

The Big Reveal! Elliot Rocks!

Ye of little faith! Me of little faith! Elliot was right! All double covered plants survived! I peeled back the covers expecting mushy, collapsed plants. Instead, all is well! One happy winter gardener, I am! One thing I learned: lettuce seedlings handle extreme cold better than mature plants. I have also learned I can eat broccoli everyday. Steam in the microwave for three minutes then squeeze half a lemon when uncovered, it is the best ever!

Tiny lettuces survived under their double layer of Agribon19

Windy And Cold

My favorite! Windy AND cold! It is really cold down South. In the teens at night. This bright, sunny, Carolina-blue-skied, Sunday morning it is 23 degrees Fahrenheit AND it is so blowy I can here every note of my windchimes when it gusts. We were slatted for inches and inches of snow but got a not generous dusting of powder. It's not as cold as predicted but cold enough that I am glad I double covered my broccoli, cabbage and new lettuces. I'm hoping the kale, rutabagas and carrots are warm enough under a single layer. We left the garlic and onions to fend for themselves. Ahead of this cold front I harvested all the broccoli, mustard, kale and mature lettuce I could. The fridge is full. Now there is nothing to do but wait and see if Elliot Coleman's method works in my modified row covered structures. In a few days, we'll see...

Pulled 1/19/2017 they were magnificent roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.