This is what December looks like in a warm-winter climate. We’re watering from rain barrels and eating salads in December (since lettuce bolts to seed too quickly through the summer). The mood also shifts toward baking and cooking again. Such is the beauty of fall/winter gardening.
Loquats have just set fruit on our potted tree. They’ll be ripe in a couple months.Our spring radishes are nearly ready to pick. Varieties include Cherry Belle (spring), Easter Egg (spring), French Breakfast (spring), Daikon (winter), and Watermelon (winter).10 different lettuces, 3 different mustard greens, mache, and more. These make up our winter salad garden. Our favorites include, clockwise from upper left, Sawtooth mustard, Osaka Purple mustard, Tatsoi, Kweik lettuce, Forellenschlus (spotted romaine), and Rouge D’hiver.Our Greenstalk has been replanted with lettuces, kale and flowers for winter. We make a few cents if you use our affiliate link. Use our discount code GSGARDENERD too!We’ve unveiled our kale bed from its protective floating row cover. Time to start picking our favorites like Dazzling Blue, Siberian, Lacinato, Fizz, Vates Curly and Red Russian.We attended a book signing with Ellen King, author of Heritage Baking. It’s all about baking with whole grains Can’t wait to try these recipes.Mittens inspects (read: eats) our winter wheat crop. This year we’re growing Red Fife from Baker Creek.Finally made it out to Grist and Toll in Pasadena, LA’s local grain mill, for their 5-year anniversary party. Bought a bunch of milled whole grains for baking from Ellen King’s book (to go along with my own home-milled grains).
Enjoy the cool season garden if you can. If your soil is covered in snow, enjoy the break. You deserve it. Seed catalogs are already appearing in the mail box. Start planning your spring garden!
