My Winter Garden

It seems counterintuitive to be harvesting from a garden in December, but that is the beauty of living in Phoenix, Arizona.

When other parts of the country are having winter and snow, it is now our “autumn” as the leaves are changing color and dropping. Even the grapevine entrance to the garden turns a beautiful burgundy.

This fall I changed up my garden a bit. Typically I plant lots of tomatoes, but since we do occasionally have freezing temperatures, it takes a great deal of effort to protect those plants in the winter. So I focused away from tomatoes and more toward greens and hearty winter vegetables.

There are a few tomato plants but they have sprung up on their own, from seeds from the summer. It will take some warmer temps before they are a brilliant red. If freezing temperatures come, I will cover them with frost cloth or heavy clear plastic and hang Christmas lights around the plants for some additional warmth.

Increased quantities of broccoli and cauliflower plants this year which should be ready to cut within the next few weeks. Just in time for our New Year’s resolution of eating healthier!

I planted peppers (two of them) this summer, but I am not sure what kind they are. I thought I had purchase jalapeños, but these are too big. I think they are poblano and as a result I have been letting them grow. One plant has nice, green peppers.

The other was affected by our most recent cold snap and now the peppers look like this.

The greens are so happy~we’ve had a bit of rain this month and the cooler temps have the bok choy, arugula, kale and different types of lettuces looking extremely healthy.

Some years I cannot grow sage, but this year, it has taken off! Mint, parsley, basil (until it freezes), chives, and there’s even a little dill left are in the herb garden.

I have three mystery squash plants. It could be spaghetti squash but until it bears fruit, I have no idea. It might be a good idea to keep a garden diary….or those little plastic name tags near the plants.

The orchard is nearly ready to give us weeks of fresh citrus~~different varieties of oranges, grapefruit, kumquats, limes, lemons and limequats. There is nothing better than having fresh squeezed orange juice from our favorite tree.

It seems a bit early but hollyhocks are growing EVERYWHERE. However, there is only one in bloom right now, but I expect there to be a riot of color in the spring.

This time of year is one of my favorites. Our street is lined with mature ash trees that become a brilliant yellow. Our yard has its share of deciduous trees so lots of raking required.

Wishing you a terrific Tuesday!