Midwinter Reflections

   We have just had a clear but cold snap, but so far this Winter has been unsettlingly mild. I woke up this morning to a soft rain. At least I won't have to water anything. Just a couple of weeks ago we had our first light frost, and I went out and admired it and took pictures. It always amazes me how many veggies can survive a little frost without harm. The kale, broccoli, and parsley looked perfectly happy with it. 

Frozen dew on the red kale

Frosty parsley

   We have just passed Midwinter (June 21st) and Matariki (June 24th this year)*. A time to reflect on the past year, set intentions for the coming year, and celebrate what's in front of us. For gardeners it is certainly a good time to slow down and reflect. The Winter crops are slowing down their growth; they don't need much watering or much care. You have a little extra time to reflect on the past year in the garden, and contemplate gardening goals for the coming season. 

  There have been some changes in my garden this past year. I put in a new garden bed in the front, substantially adding to my veggie gardening space. I put in a wood chip path along the front yard garden beds, a project I had been dithering about for a long time. I had my second try at both potatoes and corn. Having failed spectacularly at both in the past, I avoided them for a years. Both yielded some success this time. One goal I've had over the past couple of years is to grow more from seed, and this Summer I got to a really good place with that. I grew everything from seed aside from the capsicum and tomato, two things that do best with an early start indoors (which I am not set up well to provide). And at this point I am growing some things from my own harvested seeds: parsley, coriander, beans, and rocket, to name a few. 

  Three years ago, on the 4th of July, we moved into our house. Everything looked a bit dismal that day, wet and cold, bare branches on deciduous trees. The small front lawn was mowed, and the rest was overgrown and full of every manner of junk. But it had potential. I looked back at the photo I snapped of the front garden then, and it looks so tidy but so bare. Today it's got two veggie beds, trees that really need a trim, and overgrown grass. It's wild and alive; a work in progress.

Then:

Now:

    Looking ahead, I'd like to convert more of the areas around the front garden beds to wood chip paths and turn the patch of grass that will remain into a meadow with flowers. Now that I have more veggie growing capacity in the front, I'd like to plant some of the raised bed in the back with berries that I've got in pots at the moment: strawberry, red currant, and raspberry. In general I'd like to get more of my perennials out of pots and into the ground. Some of them I have been carrying around from one house to another for far too long. I'd also like to up my composting game this year. I'm not sure what that would look like yet, but digging out and using my compost more than just once or twice a year would be a good start. I haven't worked out the details of what I'm planting this Spring. I've got two more months of Winter to think, sketch, and dream.

 As for the present? Of all seasons, I always find it hardest to appreciate Winter, but it gets a bit easier every year. I've had some practice. I appreciate the plants I'm growing through this season. I harvested my Fall carrots a couple weeks ago and put them all into a dish to roast with some kumera. The peas are hanging in there but they do not love this weather. What remains is: red kale, cavolo nero, silverbeet, broccoli, and the remains of my bolting rocket. These greens are all still just half grown, enough to pick a few leaves every couple of weeks. So far what I've done with them is pick a little of every type of leafy green, de-stem where appropriate, and slice them into thin strips. I pick one of a few simple dressings to make and drizzle over it all, and I throw in any herbs I have going (cilantro, parsley, mint). It is enough to have a little something green to enjoy from the garden in Winter. 

my modest carrot harvest

 I appreciate that my veggies don't need much tending this time of year. This frees up time for other garden tasks. A sunny day after a good rain is the perfect time to do any weeding. A few sunny days together is a good time to prune fruit trees and other overgrown foliage. I am lucky to live in a climate that can get a few sunny, mild days any time of  year. The fact is even the gloomiest day is not so bad once I am outside, moving my body, warming up and enjoying the fresh air. I'm always glad I overcame the Winter inertia and got outside for a bit. There is always beauty to be found in the garden - the slant of Winter sunlight through bare branches, the sweet smell of jasmine that is flowering in thick clusters in the garden right now. My garden motivates me to get outside even on those dreary days when I might otherwise hole up indoors. It gives me an opportunity to slow down and appreciate what beauty there is to be found in this cold season.

* Yes, okay, we are a couple weeks past Midwinter now. It took me a week to put this post together.