Winter Garden

It's time to prepare my garden for winter. There isn't enough sun even on a good day to warm the soil. It rises over the mountains at about 9:00 a.m. to arc along its southerly path and "set" behind the trees of the Hole in the Wall at about 1:00 p.m.

Each year my garden seems to have a different star. This year it was my carrots. I'm not sure why. I used the same things to augment the soil in the spring, the same plant food throughout the summer, and of course the same long sunny days and plentiful rain. But, this year the carrots were more plentiful and much larger than ever before. I just harvested this huge beauty. A little trimming and it gave us lots of salads and carrot sticks to nibble on. I was amazed, it wasn't even woody.

To protect my asparagus roots, I cut the ferns two inches above the soil and then laid them on the top. A bucket of sand and another of soil over the fronds holds them in place, creates an air pocket, and helps protect the roots from freezing weather.

I am leaving my root crops in the soil. These include potatoes, more carrots and a few remaining beets. I will continue to harvest them as needed into the winter. Last year I had fresh carrots all the way until spring.

My herbs are real troopers. My mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, and even my parsley have make it through the freezing nights and even under a layer of occasional snow. Plus, it's fun to go out and snip a few fresh sprigs for winter soups and stews. -- Margy