Winter in New England, but Time for Gardening in Florida! By Nancy Taylor Wright

Pat Kinsella Herdeg writes: Just back from a weekend on the coast of Maine. Wintry beach with much sand gone, rocks uncovered, and surf and seaweed obvious on the other side of the road, having gone around or through the first line of beach houses. Very cold and snowy here.

Nancy Taylor Wright

But Nancy Taylor Wright has a different worldview. In Florida, she is gardening! Nance writes: Right now I am tending my garden which has survived all of our cold snaps with my covering everything up, and am eating out of it already with more things growing to full maturity. We're about to have another cold snap down in the 30s-40s again this weekend, but it doesn't last.

She describes each picture:

1st picture: Two large peppers almost ready to be picked in front of the heart, with basket of chives, and two Avocado Trees growing in pots.

The Pepper plant and the chives are last year's crops wintered over and will be good for another year. I have more pepper plants germinated in the Pepper pot to increase my garden. The Avocado Trees need to be transplanted into the ground as soon as I get a new place to live.

2nd picture: Wide view of my garden plants in my Pot Garden; this shows all of my different pots alongside the back porch right outside the kitchen door

3rd picture: Top view of Tomatoes, Basil, & Carrots

The tomatoes came up on their own, the Basil is a transplant from another basil plant and the carrots were size rejects from the Organic Garden I belong to when we harvested several of the pots, and with the warm weather and some rains they are all starting to grow fast now. (However, this coming weekend we are expected to dip into the 30's and 40's again, so will have to cover with sheets and towels to keep them warm)

4th picture:  Garden View looking out from back porch at kitchen door & Red and White Azaleas blooming in the common yard--our Oak and Maple trees are starting to bud new green leaves and the birds are all singing their mating songs now.

5th picture: My worm compost bin where I take all my kitchen veggie trimmings to, with Bok Choy, Sweet Potatoes, White Potatoes, and a Tomato plant

When we harvest the leaf lettuces and bok choy at the Organic Farm, they leave the root ball on it wrapped in slightly wet paper towel and rubber banded, so I just cut the lower part of the plant with roots off and plant that into my garden and voila--I have plants growing anew -- the leaf lettuce bunches are at least 18" across and you can't hardly stuff one bunch into a grocery bag, and gives you a TREMENDOUS amount of lettuce leaves for salads, and the spinach leaves that we harvest are all larger than a giant's hand--one leaf could make a whole spinach salad and is real sweet. With the Bok Choy, I want to try an egg/tuna fish salad Spring Roll (wrap egg/tuna fish into a leaf and roll-up).

6th picture:

 Red Leaf Lettuce, Cilantro, Onion and Mint, with Rosemary bush behind it


The Red Leaf Lettuce and the Cilantro are from the Organic Farm, the onion is just cut from the bottom of a store onion and planted for the green shoots for salads, the Mint was from the Organic Farm herbal collection and I found a piece with roots and potted it and now it's pretty big. The Rosemary bush I had bought at the garden center and want to eventually find a good place to plant it near an entry door in my new place one day--supposed to be good luck to touch the Rosemary bush before you enter your house (my NC friend told me that).

Well, Pat, see if this gives you enough about my Winter Garden, I just planted some marigolds, zinnias, and nasturtiums and they have popped up and getting ready to set their second leaves. This will be mostly for color to my garden, but can use the marigold and nasturtium leaves in my salads also.

Pat answers: Yes, Nancy this is TERRIFIC!! Thank you so much for sharing. I still find it hard to believe that while I am looking at about eight inches of snow in my yard, you are eating vegetables from your garden—so envious!