Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Winter Garden Wonders

This is the first year that I've actively done winter gardening.
Winter crops in the floating garden.

I've cleaned out all of the containers on the decks, but the raised beds on the garden float are still producing.

Some sections are resting until spring.

Yesterday there was a break and I had some sun and dry weather to go out to work in the soil. After being stuck indoors for almost a week, it was wonderful.

I cleaned out the hoop tunnel and worked up the soil.

At the back of the garden I still have carrots, beets, Brussels sprouts and kale.

In the front are broccoli, thyme and rosemary.

And there are signs of spring. The garlic and daffodil bulbs are starting to sprout.

We haven't been to the grocery store in over a week due to stormy weather and lingering winter colds.


These fresh winter garden vegetables make our meals from storage staples healthier and more appealing.


Do you winter garden? What are your favourite plants to grow? -- Margy

32 comments:

  1. Wow! Beautiful vegetables from your wonderful winter garden! Amazing and so fun to hear about, too!

    We are still eating tomatoes that we ripened on the vines that we cut and put in our garage.

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    1. Mine didn't last that long, but I didn't have many vines to start with. I don't have a garage so I removed the tomatoes and let them ripen in the cabin. They lasted at least a month that way. - Margy

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  2. Now that is a unique garden! Love it! No winter gardening here though.

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    1. Probably not with all that snow, but I have seen pictures of people who cover their beds and dig through th4 snow to harvest carrots. - Margy

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  3. How satisfying to grow a veggie garden in your space. I planted garlic this winter. First try.

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    1. I was amazed to see my garlic sprouting already. This is the first year I planted the cloves in fall for an early spring start. - Margy

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  4. Beautiful! I'm planning to try a few winter veggies next winter, too.

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    1. Your climate is just about the same as mine so it should do well. - Margy

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  5. how wonderful, but I don´t think that would work in Sweden :)

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    1. Maybe not, but that's where some of my ancestors came from. - Margy

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  6. Great growing, nice to have some fresh veggies all winter long without running to the store (which isn't easy for you)

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    1. I just saw kale for $2 a small bunch. I must have picked $4 worth the other day. - Margy

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  7. I don't winter garden. It would take a greenhouse, and since I usually fail at growing veggies, it's not worth the investment.

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    1. We get down to below zero (Celsius) and it all still keeps fresh. - Margy

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  8. Wow - what an amazing garden!

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    1. Thanks. I like winter gardening because it is much less work. No need to water and weeds don't grow. - Margy

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  9. Congrats on your garden, I admire your ability and determination to make such a good and productive garden right where you are. Now a question please - in one of the photos of the garden there is a structure and some boats way on the other side of the bay. Is that a neighbor? I have bought and read all of Wayne's BC books and although he includes wonderful photos of the area he tends to show maps to illustrate where places are and I try to understand what the surroundings are - so which neighbor might that be?

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    1. Thanks for being such a faithful reader. We can see three cabins across from ours even though there are more tucked away in protective bays. - Margy

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  10. How fabulous to be harvesting such healthy looking vegetables in January. Pretty sure that northern Montana is not hospitable for winter gardening ...

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    1. We do get moderated temperatures from the ocean I guess. We are a little farther north than Montana. - Margy

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  11. Wow, that is cool you can garden in the winter. The fresh veggies look beautiful. Enjoy your day!

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    1. I spent today canning potatoes. There's always something fun to do here at the cabin. - Margy

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  12. Enjoyed seeing your River Garden! I grew up living on a boat and my mom made a similar floating raft to hold her potted plants that fit in our slip in front of the boat.

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    1. There was an amazing garden float at the Gibson's Marina just south of us. - Margy

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  13. Amazing winter harvest - and your meals will be so colorful too. I don't garden in the winter, I get enthusiastic in the winter though and can't wait for spring.

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    1. The good part about winter gardening is there is very little work other than picking. In the summer I have to water all the time. Never this time of year. - Margy

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  14. I don't winter garden. Living in Vancouver we get so much rain. I'm wondering if a winter garden would work for me. I have no sheltered area for growing. Your winter garden is wonderful and healthy. I agree that not having to water and weed are also great bonuses to winter gardening.

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    1. We aren't much farther north than you are. Powell River gets lots of rain in the winter, especially this year. My float garden drains well so that helps a lot. My containers get too wet in the winter so I pull those plants out at the end of summer. - Margy

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  15. Hey, love the winter gardening1 We can only do sprouting seeds. I tried to sign up to your blog a while ago, right at the bottom of the page there, but just got a load of html. I mentioned it in my reply to your previous comment on our blog, but just realised maybe you didn't see the comment. I just tried again and it didn't work. Any ideas? Lou (yukonbushlife.com)

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    1. I sent a response by email as well. There is a "Follow" button to the right at the bottom of the green side bar. Let me know if that doesn't work for you. - Margy

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  16. OMG what an idyllic set-up you have there! It is like something for tour packages to emulate. We have all the land and yet we are not that productive, you are amazing! How far are you from the nearest agricultural supply store to get your soil and media? I love that gardening part most of all in what you're doing there. BTW i have phobia on depths and heights, hehe

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    1. I am going to give a garden club tour this June. We will bring seven people up at at time in our boat. Should be fun. We are half an hour by boat from town and the stores with gardening supplies are about a fifteen minute drive from the marina at the bottom of the lake. We keep a truck there for land transportation. I'm okay with depths (like in the water) but heights are scary for me too. I'm better than I used to be but not 100%. I know my limits.

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy