Laura Young - reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
With winter solstice behind us, we can really begin to sense the gradual lengthening of days. Our coldest weather still lies in the weeks to come, but winter's chill only intensifies our appreciation for the ever-increasing sunshine that comes with it. Our dogs are friskier, and lately, we've seen young deer frolicking at dusk. In the garden, the winter greens have a decided perkiness, too. Likewise, as the days lighten, so does my gardener's heart grow joyful with a lengthening list of possibilities for planting.
What to Plant This Month:
January is when you can begin to plant potatoes and continue with successions through February. I'll be hunting down seed potatoes in a rainbow of colors, including blue, red, yellow and white. As I've written before, blue potatoes taste the same as other potatoes but have some added health benefits, so they are top of my list.
UF/IFAS has also added English peas to its list for this month, and you'll be able to plant successions of these into March. Suppliers offer lots of pea varieties that thrive in our winter-to-spring temperatures. You can choose from English peas (need shucking), snap peas (have edible pods with full peas) and snow peas (flat edible pods with very tiny peas). Within those categories, you can also find many varieties, so think about where you'll grow them and decide if you want bushes or climbing vines, as well as how long you want to wait for them to mature. I actually experimented with planting some snow peas a couple of months ago, but they have seemed a bit reluctant through the darkening days. I'm looking forward to giving peas another go during the recommended timeframe.
Carryovers from the last few months for direct seeding include carrots, bunching onions, radishes and turnips. For transplants, other than the addition of endive, it's the same old list we've had through the fall: arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, spinach, sugarcane and Swiss chard. Now that the holidays are over and the new year yawns before us, there's hardly a better time to get out there and get things growing!
What's Coming Along:
The spinach plants have gotten their true leaves now and are looking very happy. They'll need thinning in a week or two, and we'll enjoy what's pulled as baby spinach tossed in a salad while the ones left behind will have more room to mature. I also have kale in various stages: some almost ready to harvest, some just getting true leaves, and some just sprouted. I never tasted kale until middle age, but over the past few years, it's become one of my favorite foods.
I've been dutifully hand-pollinating (with a paintbrush) the tomatoes in the greenhouse, where I'm not sure they get enough wind to do the job. The plants are indeed setting fruit, one way or another, and I can't wait to taste them.
What We're Eatin' in January:
Carrots! For the first time ever, I've had success growing carrots. I decided to try growing them in containers with light but rich soil, and they've done great. Because I had parsley growing nearby, I couldn't help but notice that the carrot tops and stems look an awful lot like parsley. Sure enough, they are cousins. Both belong to the Apiaceae family, also known as umbellifers because their flowers radiate out from a single point like ribs on an umbrella. Other familiar plants in this family are celery, fennel, chervil, dill, anise, caraway, cilantro, cumin and parsnips. How 'bout that!?
Another cool thing about carrots is that while we grow them for their dramatic roots, their tops are quite edible too. Yes, carrot greens are safe to eat, have a wonderful earthy flavor, and come packed with nutrients. They can be used raw or cooked, as you would leafy greens or any herb. I've been using carrot tops regularly in place of basil (which went black with the first frost) and parsley (which is coming along but more slowly than the carrots).
Both carrot roots and their tops are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and the whole plant is a good source of dietary fiber. Because carrots can be grown at least eight months of the year in our zone, keep well and feature wonderfully in all kinds of sweet and savory recipes, do consider growing carrots if you aren't already. There's no time like the new year to give 'em a try!
What's Tempting Me?
Some winter days, I'd like to just sit in the old rocker and watch the blazing fire on the wood stove. I'm ever so glad that the model we installed all those years ago has a glass front. There's almost nothing more enjoyable on a chilly January morning. Almost. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in his essay "A Winter Walk": "What fire could ever equal the sunshine of a winter's day?" I understand this completely. My days always start out with a long ramble through the woods with the dogs. When I don't have to hurry off to work after walking, I usually spend the rest of the morning in the garden. If it's cold, we usually get a fire started in the wood stove first thing, but as mesmerizing as a fire is, we don't linger. The outdoors has a stronger lure, at least until lunchtime. After a bracing morning in the winter sun, then it's time to relax by a mesmerizing f ire.