The Garden Year in Review

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Is it just me or did the month of December disappear in the blink of an eye? The holiday season has gone by so fast, it seems, and here we are, already counting the hours remaining in 2006.

But before I bid this year adieu, I thought I would take some time to recount the days in this year's garden. So here goes:

The Best and Worst of My Garden Plot in 2006.

Best Fruit: Strawberries.

Best New Ornamental Flower: Ruby Moons.

Favorite New-to-my-Garden Vegetable: Potatoes.

Favorite New-to-my-Garden Herb: Sage.

Best-All-Around Vegetable: Tomato. (OK, I know they're really fruits, but strawberries win for fruit, and I have to fit tomatoes in this list somewhere!)

Favorite Thing to Harvest: Garlic.

Worst Herbal Casualty: Rosemary. (It died, despite my best efforts to save it.)

Most Popular Post: Turkey brined with sage.

Longest Blog Post: The Weekend Herb Blogging Recap.

Most Popular Posts about Herbs: Chamomile Tea and Basil Lemonade.

Favorite Herbal Recipe Invention: Tarragon & Chocolate Biscotti.

My Least Favorite Recipe: Carrot and Dill Soup.

Worst Insect Infestation: Whiteflies.

Meanest-Looking Insect: This one.

Prettiest Wildlife Visitor: Hummingbird.

Least Favorite Wildlife Visitor: Deer.

Most Envied Item in a Neighboring Plot: Blueberries.

Favorite Gift from Another Gardener: Onions.

Biggest Unsolved Mystery: Snake eggs or mushrooms? (Whatever they were, they eventually disappeared on their own.)

Smelliest Task: Setting out the comfrey compost.

Most Daring Photo Shoot: Getting up close and personal with the bees on wisteria flowers.

Favorite Use for Our Own-Grown Tomatoes: Hands down, the fresh tomato sandwich wins every time.

Happy New Year to All!

Last Tomato Tangle

Summer's last tomato, trapped in a fence in late December.

This is my photo for this week's edition of Green Thumb Sunday. Check here for links to other Green Thumbs and their photos of plants and nature scenes.

Where do ladybugs go for the winter?

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Apparently not very far from the garden!

Ladybugs hibernate for the winter, according to this article by Professor of Entomology Tom Turpin. And they seem particularly fond of finding winter accommodations in the crevices and cracks of human houses. But this little guy (or gal?), to my surprise, was still hanging around the mizuna plants in my garden today, as the cold, wintry breezes nipped at my fingers while I snapped photos.

Hurry up, you procrastinating little bug, you! Find yourself a warm place and settle down for the winter. The garden needs you and your buddies come spring!

Oh Tannenbaum

Thursday, December 21, 2006

There is a beautiful frasier fir tree that has captured all of my attention these days. I will be blogging about my garden again, after Christmas.

Happy Holidays to all!

December Salad

Thursday, December 07, 2006

These are the veggies I picked from our plot on Monday. There are carrots, a French Breakfast Radish, some mizuna, Red Russian Kale, and a few leaves of red chard and romaine lettuce.

Yes, it's gardening on a small scale, but, fortunately, there was enough to make this beautiful salad. Not bad for a December harvest, huh? With nighttime temperatures plunging down into the 20s now, I am grateful for everything the garden is still willing and able to give.

Will Beets Overwinter?

Monday, December 04, 2006

We had a fierce, wintry wind blowing through Washington, D.C., today, but in the garden, my beet plants showed no apparent worry about the plummeting temperatures. At their centers, the plants were showing off tiny, spring-green-colored leaves, almost defiant against the cold December days and nights that lie ahead.

Looking at them another way, the plants actually appeared sort of... Christmas-y, with their mix of red and green. How 'bout that? Inadvertent, natural holiday decor in the garden. (OK, maybe that's a stretch, but what can I say? I have Christmas on the brain!)

The new beet greens perhaps give me a false sense of hope, though, because it's probably unlikely that I will get any good size beets out of these plants before the hard winter sets in. Clearly I must have started them too late. I sowed the seeds in September.

Does anyone know: Will beets overwinter in Zone 7?

Closed for Winter

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Morning Glory pods storing their energy for spring.

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