As we approach mid-December, the garden still produces its bounty for our family. Anything that is still growing is doing it slowly, but at least it's still growing for us.
This week I harvested some of my buttercrunch lettuce for the first time and got one and one-quarter pounds of it. Salads and sandwiches are on the lunch menus for this week!
The Marconi peppers are on the wane now with somewhat wilted-looking leaves on all the plants, but I still picked 34 small peppers weighing a total of one and three-quarter pounds. The largest was just over four inches long.
I've been saving the crowns of the Marconi peppers when I processed them so they would dry and I could save the seeds. I ended up with several tablespoonfuls of the seed for my family to use next year.
We started using more orange bell peppers from the store since we learned that they are supposed to be really good for the health of your eyes. These seeds were from just two peppers after I dried the crowns, just like with the Marconi's. We'll see how well they grow next spring.
This week I completed the planting of the three remaining rows of collard plants. Between the last row of collards and the closest row of lettuce, I managed to fit in the Swiss chard that I had been growing in a container.
Here is a view of the 18 inch spacing of my plants (not the lettuce) so I can mini-till between them going straight across my garden. The rows actually run from left to right.
This was a short post, but things are slow growing during this time of year. The collards will provide a very nice picking for Christmas dinner in just a couple of weeks from now. Christmas is almost here! Can you believe it?
Everyone stay warm and good luck with your winter crops. I hope they all do very well for everyone!
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
Things are really slowing down here too. I think our ground is going to be permanently frozen now. Only about a month late this year. Part of me envys you being able to plant now, but the other part is happy for the winter break.
ReplyDeleteHi Veggie Pak; Will you be eating Marconi peppers with your Christmas Dinner?? You seem to have such a lot of them.(But then maybe you'll want something different for your special meal!)
ReplyDeleteThe lettuce looks good too. I am still harvesting salad from my Summer sowings. The weather here has been really mild recently, which has allowed the lettuces etc to keep going much longer than usual.
You are planting and we are putting our garden to bed for the winter.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so nice, pretty & yummy. We love orange peppers, so good.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful head of lettuce and those peppers are quite a nice late season harvest bounty. The garden looks good and is holding up well in the winter season.
ReplyDeleteYOur lettuce and peppers look so yummy! How wonderful to have peppers in Dec.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I agree with you on the breaks. They're good! Now that I have the garden all planted, I can sit back for a while because it grows so slowly this time of year.
ReplyDeleteMark Willis, Probably not. Our freezer is full of peppers, so we've been sharing with our kids. That's good news that your salads are still producing. I'm hoping for a mild winter, but judging from the very large quantity of berries and acorns out there, it will be a cold one.
Norma Chang, I have the garden planted, but Mother Nature will determine if it survives the winter. I'm hoping that it all grows well.
Jennifer, Thanks!
kitsapFG, Thanks, and I really hope it grows well before spring.
Mary Hysong, I agree! I wouldn't have believed I would have peppers in December if someone had told me so!
I thank each visitor for stopping by my blog and sharing a comment with me. I hope everyone has happy gardening thoughts as they ponder over their spring planting.
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
I did not know that about orange bell peppers, very interesting. The marconi peppers are nice variety that we always try to include in our garden...looks like you will be good to go with seed from that variety for some time. I enjoyed seeing more of your December garden.
ReplyDeleteMr. H., Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comment with me! I always enjoy hearing from my fellow garden bloggers!
ReplyDeleteHere is where that eye info came from:
"AARP Bulletin (partial copy here)
10 Super Foods to Protect Vision
They fight glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts.
The study in the journal The Archives of Ophthalmology was just the latest in a growing body of research linking diet to eye health and the prevention of some troubling eye conditions.
New research published this month shows that fewer older Americans are developing macular degeneration — a major cause of vision loss and even blindness in older men and women. And the study suggests that a healthier diet — including leafy green vegetables and fish — could be one of the factors responsible for the decrease — from 9.4 percent to 6.5 percent — in the prevalence of the disease among people over age 40.
Number 5. Orange bell peppers
These peppers are the best dietary source of zeaxanthin, the other carotenoid that concentrates in the back of the eye. The higher the level of carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, the lower the risk for cataracts and macular degeneration. Orange bell peppers have a lot of vitamin C and more zeaxanthin per mouthful than any food on the planet, Pratt says. Other orange foods — including gogi berries, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes and carrots — may have similar benefits. These orange-colored choices also are chock-full of vitamin A, which boosts night vision. And they contain a carotene that helps lower the risk of cataracts."
I hope this provides some additional information for you and other folks out there. We all need to look out for each other.
Happy Gardening!
Veggie PAK
Looking fantastic, Veggie! It's going to be a good winter - let's hope for mild weather throughout! Seasons greetings and salad seasonings to you!
ReplyDeletewith a grin, Sybil
Sybil Mays, Thanks! I've got my fingers crossed for a mild winter. Seasoned greetings to you as well!
ReplyDeleteStay warm,
Veggie PAK