Garden Photo Journal 12/25/10: On the White Side

Garden Journal 1/31/10: Snow Days and the Dream Garden

And She Sleeps (the garden, not me)

Realization of the day:
It's a weekend for dreaming and scheming.

Friday's six-inch snowfall has us happily cozying up indoors—except for the three to four hours a day tending to the donkeys, sheep, chickens, dogs, and outside cats. But I don't mind doing chores even in the snow, especially when it's sunny and warm like today. (Does thinking 30 degrees is warm mean that I've officially crossed over?) It really is beautiful out there.

Now that I've lived on a farm for 15 years, I start to go a little stir crazy if I don't get outside every couple of hours. What's nice is that no matter what the weather, there's always some good reason to leave the kitchen or computer and head out into the fresh air, even if it's only for five minutes to empty the kitchen compost container, feed some scraps to the chickens, or just hug a sheep.

I'll admit that a little laziness does kick in when everything is covered with snow, and I'm perfectly content to stay out of the the garden for a day or two. I certainly don't stop thinking about it, though.

This is the time of year when the garden in my mind and the garden in my reality have so much in common. With no blister beetles or other annoying bugs, no weeds taking over, no ravenous rabbits and deer, no crop failures, no dog damage, no seeds that never sprouted, no seedlings that should have been put in the ground weeks (or months!) ago, no work that can really be done (though I'm sure I could come up with something if I tried), and all those big plans to harvest the most glorious bounty ever, it's definitely one of my favorite times of year in the garden—until I get hungry of course.

Is there anything going on in your garden right now—or is it all still happening in your head?

More snowy garden photos:
2/4/09: Why I Love Growing Vegetables in Raised Garden Beds: Reason #1
Garden Journal 3/1/09: Early Spring Planting Plans & an Unexpected Delay
Garden Photo Journal 1/11/10: My All-Weather Gardening Companion
And lots of links to Snowy Farm Photos here and here

A little help if you're dreaming and scheming about what to grow:
Favorite Heirloom Tomatoes to Grow—Mine and Yours
Growing Onions in the Garden
Growing Short Day Onion Varieties from Purchased Plants
Harvesting Spring Onions Grown from Purchased Plants
Endive and Escarole in the Kitchen and Garden
Growing Lemon Cucumbers from Seed (I love lemon cucumbers)

How to Grow Beets from Seed (and here's my favorite beet recipe)
How To Grow Swiss Chard from Seed and Why You Should (and recipes)
How To Grow Your Own Gourmet Lettuce from Seed (It's Easy!)
How To Grow Arugula from Seed in Less than a Month
Tips for Growing & Using Rosemary Year Round

© Copyright 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the snowbound foodie farm blog where one thing I do miss in the garden this time of year—besides all that fabulous food—is seeing all the butterflies fluttering about.

Garden Photo Journal:My All-Weather Gardening Companion

Sylvester the Superfluff

Happy New Year! Between the bitter cold (it was minus six without the windchill yesterday morning) and this month-long flu I'm finally getting over, it's been a slow start to the new year, both in and out of the garden. But despite the snow, Sylvester, who spends much of his time in the garden and greenhouse, is ready and willing to get in the way lend a paw whenever I step outside.

I did make a New Year's Day list of hopes and resolutions for my 2010 garden, which I'll be sharing in my next post (and asking about yours!). In the meantime, are there any four-footers who keep you company in the garden? If you've shared photos of them on your own blog, you're welcome to include a link in your comment.

Want to see more of Sylvester?
1/8/09: Meet the Newest Member of Our Feline Family, Sylvester the Cat
8/5/09: The Pollinator and the Pussycat
9/4/09: Sacked out Sylvester on the Potting Bench
1/5/10: Cold Lover

Of course Sylvester isn't my only companion in the garden. Some days I'll have three or four supervisors out there with me, though of course supervisors never do any actual work. It's been a while since I've foolishly allowed any sheep in the garden, but there are days when I do miss having my sweet little Cary in there with me. It was almost as fun as letting a lamb in the living room! (Don't know who Cary is? Meet her in A Tiny Tail for Mother's Day.)

5/23/06: Cary on the Cucumbers
5/27/06: Turtles Attack!
5/28/06: Thinning Beets with Cary for Company
6/19/06: Lunching in the Greenhouse
6/28/06: Eating Weeds and Inhaling Asparagus Ferns
6/30/06: My Scuffle Hoe and a Weed Eater
7/12/06: The Weed Eater Was Working Perfectly
7/27/06: Falsely Accused (and Let Back in the Garden)
7/31/06: Sucking Down Surprise Lilies
8/17/06: The Destructive Duo Has Been Kicked out of the Kitchen Garden
1/7/07: What I Learned from Cary Last Year
4/18/08: A Little Look Back at Cary and the Nanny Bear in the Greenhouse

© Copyright 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the never alone foodie farm blog where I may rant and rave about the destruction caused by various critters in the garden, but I really wouldn't trade their companionship for anything—well, except a beautiful 8-foot high stone wall around the entire garden, which would also keep me from having to deal with the dreaded deer.