Time to Plan(t) the Frozen Crop

You heard right. My garden never sleeps. This is Northern California and there are plenty of herbs and vegetables which will grow well in fall and winter, some of them even better than in the summer heat.

A mint jungle is growing around my house, and I just recently learned that this might be the reason we have no ants at all. Not only do we enjoy the aroma of different herbs during the different seasons such as melissa in spring, the drought resistant lavender and rosemary in summer, and mint all year long, we also distille oils from them. Melissa oil is a highly sought after commodity and lavender can be dried and sown into herb sachets - great holiday gift btw.

I plant all my vegetables in high-risers.  Arugula, lettuce, radishes, brussels sprouts and spinach are great cold season crops. To provide for the few frosty days and nights we have here, I put a cold frame over my high-riser and leave the windows open when it is mild and close it shut during the Siberian nights.The frames are easy to built but if you need an even easier protection, just put a loose plastic cover over your high-riser thrown over plastic pipes and held in place with rocks on the edges - not fancy but adequate.

 Garden lovage, see picture below, or as we call it in Germany, Maggi herb, is another good plant for winter months. During summer you have to cut it down or you will end up with a forest of garden lovage overgrowing your place. The aromatic herb gives every stew and soup a great hearty taste, is full of vitamins, and you only need a few leaves per recipe (don't overdose or you will hang on to your toilet seat for 24 hours).

.

I feel lucky living in a climate that allows me to garden all year round. The winter crops are a welcome variety to the tomatoes and summer squash, prevents the soil from erosion and replenishes it with nutrients. I look for heirlooms and non GMO seeds. Organic gardening was the reason for me to start one to begin with.

Digging in the dirt also has a spiritual aspect. It keeps me grounded in times of stress, and gives me the necessary exercise to keep my glucose level balanced. Very often, a couple of helpers show up with my granddaughter eager to learn what herbs  grow well together and which one will end up in today's supper- biodynamic gardening , nutrition and biology education hands on.