It’s definitely winter around these parts. Cold, wet, and windy. We’ve had an unusually long, warm Autumn, so the sudden burst of winter weather has caught us all by surprise. Country Boy has been sick so we’d all much rather snuggle up and read in front of the fire, or cook some comforting food, rather than be out in the garden.
Unfortunately the garden waits for no man (or woman), so here is what has been happening in the garden lately.
Harvesting
At this time of year, our harvest is always comparatively thin. There have been plenty of cauliflowers, which I have been making skordalia with (it’s one of the kids favourite ways to eat it – we can eat a whole cauliflower in a day).
There is also plenty of sprouting broccoli, and the cabbages are looking good too. Soon I will be freezing the extras to store for later in the year
We also have lots of kale and spinach.
Planting
There isn’t a great deal of planting going on at the moment. Country Boy has put in the onions and garlic for the year. He has also put in an asparagus bed. It will be a few years before we get a good crop, but I’m already looking forward to fresh asparagus with some home made hollandaise sauce.
Things We Need To Do
We are in the process of extending the garden. Not all of it will be vegetables, but there will be some citrus trees, as well as some more ornamental gardens. At the moment there is a lot of fencing going on. We also need to stretch bird netting over the orchard before spring comes so that the birds don’t get the berries and fruit. It’s going to be a big job, but once it is done, we will be very pleased with ourselves.
The rhubarb is completely over grown so I need to do something with it all.
In the vegetable garden itself, the clearing away, weeding, digging in manure, and mulching ahead of spring planting, continues. There is still a lot of dead tomatoes, corn, and beans to pull out and feed to the pigs.
I’m linking up with Strayed From The Table for the Garden Share Collective. You can head over there and see what other bloggers are up to in their garden.
Lovely photos with the rain drops. And I wish my rhubarb was over grown. Right now the aphids have really sapped its strength. I see lady bugs in there, but it will take a while before they get even close to controlling it.
Great harves and lovely photos. I adore rain drops on brassicas!
Those tomatoes don't look dead – they look like they still have ripening toms. Amazing. Or do my eyes deceive me?
Rhubarb jelly? Rhubarb cordial? Rhubarb chutney?
I am so jealous. Our chooks forged into fort knox and have destroyed everything. All the caulies, the spinach, the broccoli, rhubarb and my strawberries. They have stayed out of the broad beans though which is rather peculiar. Seriously you would think a dog has been scratching in there. Im forgetting the winter crop now and its planning for spring and summer now. Sigh!! …and thinking about electrifying the veggie patch fence…he he
Alternatively, chicken schnitzel???? The chickens haven't got into our yard so far (crosses fingers!)