Winter Gardening

It has been awhile since I have updated this blog. Although I have been slacking in that regard, I have been very busy working towards year-round gardening. In terms of the continuing the GDMBR tour, it does not look like 2010, will be the year that I get back on the GDMBR. It is more likely I will be available for at least a section or two in 2011. In the meantime, besides being available to help my dad after his stroke, and my wife after her hip replacement, I have put a lot of time and effort into our gardens. All of these pictures are from my yard in January 2010! It usually gets down into the low twenties (F) each night, and has been down into the teens a few times too.

This is broccoli raab in bloom. I am letting it go to seed.

The chickens are a big help (not). Greenhouse type plastic goes over the PVC hoops. I also use agcloth directly on the plants to keep them from freezing. The yellow sticking cards catch hatches of bugs very efficiently.

These greens taste even better than they look.

This time of the year is actually as busy as any preparing new gardens and developing the older ones. One of my granddaughter helped me unload this horse manure for the compost piles.

Spec, a Speckled Sussex hen, hid this nest of eggs in an old dog house under the deck.

This weekend a goldfinch was making beautiful music high in our apple tree near where I was harvesting greens for the upcoming week. I was lucky to get a couple of quick snaps with the camera before he flew off.

I have not biked much recently. There has been a lot of major road construction on my commute route. I am sure it will be wonderful when it is completed, but it is fairly dangerous for biking right now. However, to help motivate myself to get off the winter feedlot soon, I did sign up for the Santa Fe Century in May. That was the same day my dad had the stroke last year. Hopefully it will be uneventful this year. In any case, I hope whatever, your plans are for 2010, that you have a great time.