#winter lettuce

Winter garden lettuce is the start for winter garden salads. The lettuce is tender, colorful, succulent and bitter-free.

Alkindus, Newham and Rosaine are my current favorites, all from Territorial Seed Co.

If you need some inspo for winter garden salads see more salads here.

Garden gifts for a friend.

Spinach also thrives in the winter months in my garden.

As the days lengthen, the garden stirs and birds are building nests—even as a winter storm arrives tomorrow.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I continue to plant and succession sow in the cool season garden.

So much of the country is hunkered down with snow, ice and bitter cold. Be cheered, spring will come and your daffodils will spring from the ground. Here is February Gold a little early because of recent warm weather.

Lettuce plants grown from seed grow well as the days lengthen. Harvested rainwater is plentiful.

The last of the Lollo Rossa lettuce.

Time to plant more arugula as I harvest the last sowing. See my recent post on Growing Arugula in a Container.

The first of the broccoli side shoots.

Strawberry guavas continue at a manageable pace and the first of the kumquats are ready. Tangerines and navel oranges continue to delight us.

Grevilllea and Leucadendron for a wintry bouquet while we wait for spring flowers.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I continue to plant and succession sow in the cool season garden.

It was time to call it a wrap on bell pepper season. The plants were shading the sweet pea seedlings and other cool season crops wait to supplant them. Likely, the Baby Belle peppers could have continued until Christmas, as they have other years. We’ll snack on some, add to salads and freeze cleaned halves for winter uses.

I pick the outer leaves of the lettuce plants as needed. Currently, I’m growing Rosaine (darker leaf), a Bibb variety and frilly Lollo Rossa. The three varieties combine nicely in a salad. I also usually toss in some arugula.

I was slow in getting lettuce seedlings going this fall. Currently, I have 60 lettuce seedlings growing in small cell reusable seed starter trays. The favorites include Rosaine, Alkindus and Newham, all from Territorial Seed Co. I’ve also direct seeded some mesclun lettuce and more Newham. It’s time to replant arugula as I’ve recently started harvesting the current square.

From recent rainstorms we have about 1000 gallons of rainwater stored on site. Between storms we emptied the two 305 gallon tanks by deep watering the raised beds and trees. The garden thrives with the recent rains.

The Ambridge rose responded to the seasonal rains with about ten rose buds. The first clumps of paper whites greet walkers in the street side garden.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I continue to plant the cool season garden.

It’s winter garden salad season. Every salad is different, inspired by availability, my mood or whether I’m on a color jag. I’ve thought of doing a blog post on some of my winter garden salads for inspo if you need to change it up.

There’s abundant lettuce now in the garden—various romaines and butter lettuces, curly varieties and a stand of mesclun. I add arugula, kale and spinach for varied colors and textures.

It’s broccoli side shoot season and though not as many as some years, a harvest like this every day or two extends broccoli season. Several of the plants seemed to perennialize—putting out new plants at the base instead of producing side shoots. See my experiences in a previous blog post Is broccoli a perennial?

As Dorsett Golden apple blossoms cover the espaliered tree, I used the last of the fall crop stored in the fridge. Four months later, the quality was appropriate for baking only. The apple crisp was perfectly sweet with a crunchy streusel topping.

Rummaging around in the produce drawer I encountered some neglected beets from a long ago harvest—enough for a pint of pickled beets.

Flowers in the garden suggest we are on the edge of spring. Winter annuals thrive with all our rain and bulbs begin their show. It’s easy to gather a bouquet for the church entry.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page to see what’s been planted in the space opened by the cauliflower harvest. Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres Blog has returned. Join in and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

My Golden Sweet Edible Snow Peas begin their run. The first harvest was small so I sauteed them with slivers of red onion and added some cooked petite green peas. Top with a dash of my homemade celery salt for a perfect start for the season. I’ve grown this snow pea since 2007 and shared the seed with San Diego Seed Company.

Lettuce is abundant and I’m sharing with friends. Currently I’m harvesting Outredgeous, Sea of Red, Dark Red Lollo Rossa and Little Gem. Last week I transplanted seedlings of Pomegranate Crunch which became a new favorite last winter.

When I have lettuce I have salads—here Little Gem lettuce and radishes from the garden. A generous neighbor shared her pomegranates.

My enchanted broccoli forest. Little birds dart about in its shade. Buttons of broccoli have emerged. Oh, and it’s a great vintage cookbook too.

This reblooming iris, Ruth’s Choice has offered these beauties most of November and now into December. Just when the garden is looking ragged and worn, they appear to cheer us.

Check the What I’m Planting Now and Garden Tasks This Week pages. I’ll be posting Mondays and Thursdays during the holidays. Check the series on my favorite garden tools.

Pomegranate Crunch, a medium romaine, is a new variety for me and proved to be a winter gem. Cool weather deepens the vibrant wine color which contrasts with the lime green interiors. The texture is between romaine and butterhead with thick glossy leaves.

I grew it last summer for its heat tolerance and descriptions laud its disease resistance. It did well in our recent pea-size hail, unlike the neighboring ‘Sea of Red.’ The heads hold well and seem slow to bolt. It will be a year-round choice for me. It is widely available from favorite seed companies.

Some of my pickled purple cauliflower, white carrots and red onion topped torn ‘Pomegranate Crunch.’ Add snow peas, crumbled manchego cheese, slivered almonds, toasted sesame seeds and drizzle all with olive oil for an incredible lunch.

Despite hail and opossum damage to the plants, I gathered a few handfuls of broccoli side shoots last week.

A window opened for us to visit our son and family in Seattle and in haste before the drive, I gathered garden goodies to share. No fancy photos here.

My three-year-old Shiloh loves Grandma’s carrots and baby Sam will get his share cooked and pureed.

The last of the radishes and the first of the ‘Sweet Merlin’ beets headed to Seattle.

Before leaving, I harvested the last eight heads of ‘Pomegranate Crunch’ that survived the hail. Two came with us for our kids, two squirreled away at home in the fridge since they keep well and the rest given to neighbors and friends. When I return, I’ll be starting more from seed.

When I’m busy packing and readying house and garden, lettuce is picked up on the front porch.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.