Winter Doldrums

Winter can be a very difficult time for someone who gets a lot out of the health of their garden. Everything slows as the amount of light decreases and more things begin happening to the garden than things happening in the garden. Wind and cats have taken their toll. High winds knocked over a lot of plants, which only began to recover as kitties began to utilize my garden more as a litter box than as a place to avoid. Every spare inch of vacant soil is toilet fodder for my neighbor’s cats.

Meanwhile, back in the greenhouse the fabulous idea I had for using diatomaceous earth on the pill bugs did not work as well as I had supposed. The little crustaceans were relatively immune to the powder and finished off my cucumber plants pretty quickly. I was under the false assumption that they would begin to die off without much food, but they continue to reproduce. I should probably take a layer of soil off the top of the planter and put it into a black plastic bag to bake them. Eventually I got the good idea to replant the stock tank with Fava beans. The Fava beans have done relatively well so far. Still - I’ll have to keep up my night-time visits to the greenhouse to make sure.

After the pill bugs, comes the fava beans

Even in the greenhouse I am using sideways tomato cages to deter kitties.

My tree collards have done well. I have experienced difficulty with reproducing them due to the prevalence of little green caterpillars (some sort of moth larvae) that continually devour the small leaves of the transplants. The lemongrass has done well in broths to help me to stave off the effects of any cold virus. The red leaf lettuce has been slowly growing. It has taken a beating from caterpillars, slugs, aphids and some sections the lettuce bed have been excavated by kitties.

Red leaf lettuce and onions

I split apart and re-potted most of the lemongrass (to share with friends)

In order to stop the incessant assault from my feline foes I have turned some tomato cages on their sides. It does not look pretty in my garden, but I have gone past the point of caring. The need to have my plants live is a little more important than my garden looking like a lunar moonscape (complete with kitty-created craters).

Working to make my garden a little more kitty resistant (and ugly!)

The few carrots that I have grown are doing alright, though it looks as if I could have done a few more plantings. I believe most of them perished from poor watering. The peas seem to be doing well and a few chickpeas have managed to survive. Meanwhile, garlic and onions are sprouting up everywhere.

Messy onions, garlic and peas.

The biggest winners this winter are the tree collards, the lemongrass and the fava beans. The fava beans are from some plants grown by a local elementary school. They were willing to share, so I planted some. I quickly learned that favas do not take well to excess nitrogen (probably because they produce much of their own), but they do love the cool weather of this winter and have thrived as a result. I am really impressed.

My fava beans

Moderate-Climate Perennials

Now that I no longer live in Tucson, I am able to really enjoy an opportunity to grow vegetable varieties that I have never grown before. Perrenials that my father grows such as Yacon, Oca, Rasberries and Strawberries are now within my reach. Alas, the problem of unlimited wants and limited resources is not just consigned to the discipline of economics. My little 10x20’ garden bed has a large Cyprus tree on the South side and is still lacking in sufficient amounts bacteria that establish the foundation of a healthy garden. However, the temperatures are perfect for perennial veggies.

Garlic and Onions border my garden as a slight deterrent for slugs

 
I will probably limit my perennial vegetable beds to mainly veggies such as perennial leeks, potato onions and garlic along with lemongrass and perennial kale or tree chard. The first three require yearly digging while the last two, not so much. I have yet to try potato onions and I am just starting on seedlings of perennial leeks - but my garlic, lemongrass and kale are doing very well.

Morning Dew on Perennial Kale or Tree Chardy

One of the real benefits of perennials is either not having to replant every year or having the plants adjust to your climate. Not having to purchase new seed or plants each year can also save a lot of money. Even when leafing and fruiting perennials do not require replanting each year, they can suffer from disease or nutrient deficiencies if left in the same place for too long, without adequate care. Meanwhile, rooting perennials must be kept clean and disease free - but by keeping the healthiest roots year after year the gardener is selecting the strongest most well-adapted varieties.

Lemon Grass in my garden

In gardening, I have quickly learned that it helps to get to know people. I purchased my garlic and lemongrass from a friend who runs a nursery in American Canyon called Midcities Nursery. A friend from the Solano County Master Gardeners provided me with the tree chard and I happened to find a place online that sells perennial leeks (I will definitely write more about this later).

Sprouting Perennial Leeks

The Kale/Chard is really good in soups, though I don’t think my body has adjusted to eating it raw yet. There is apparently a lot of information out there about how to care for Tree Kale, though it does seem to do really well in my garden so far.


As a gardener, I must decide what is most important to me, and focus on what I need to do in order to achieve that in my garden. Though perennial vegetables are fun, interesting, do not require purchasing new seed or plants, they are heavily outweighed by my Carosello cucumber varieties. However, it is nice to have a few plants that can grow most of the year when little else in my garden is green.

Perennial Kale or Tree Chard grow quickly