Year-round vegetable gardening

In the Southeastern U.S, we have ample sunshine (over 10 hours a day, except for about a week and half around the winter solstice) for growing vegetables year-round. 

In 'normal' winters, we can grow kale and collards that sail through normal freezes, as well as garlic and onions.

In exceptionally cold winters (like the last couple of years), unprotected hardy greens have suffered significant frost damage.  But even this year, mustards have re-emerged looking pretty leafy in protected walled gardens like the kitchen garden next to the visitor center at the Garden where I work.

I've been delighted with my winter greens experiment in the unheated hoophouse at the Garden --totally amazing.  I'm planning to sow a short season sequence of greens in the pots and bags of soil mix, as well as chard and beets, just to see what happens.

Swiss chard

The Swiss chard is doing great -- I harvested another large bunch this evening along with a good-sized handful of arugula.

The front raised beds are looking good, too; I've packed them with vegetables and herbs, so will need to be attentive to extra nutrient additions, in spite of their excellent soil (aka compost).

The various beans are growing well, and I'm going to plant some Asian winged beans (soaking now) on another trellis (hmm, I need to find room for it) tomorrow.

Amazingly, a flat of spinach seedlings is looking quite nice. I'll have to find a shady place to put it, since some hot weather is on the way.

Spring greens

It's hard to beat fresh spinach, cabbage, arugula, mache (corn salad), and lettuce straight from the garden.

Mache (corn salad)
Mache is a treat; the leaves never get very big (for me), even the so-called large-leaved varieties, but boy, are they tasty. These plants were especially robust.

Ditto with fresh arugula. This time of year, the hotness hasn't developed, and the delicious nuttiness is perfect. Yum. And the young freshly harvested cabbage -- nothing like a grocery-store cabbage, actually.

Do I sound like I enjoy salads and vegetables? I do, certainly. They're definitely tasty, with or without a nice vinaigrette!