By Patty Leander
Butterbeans and Southern peas love hot weather and can be planted anytime from April through July. Allow to dry on the vine, then shell and store for winter eating. By Bruce Leander
November’s harsh killing freeze brought an early and unanticipated end to fall tomatoes and other tender vegetables.
Old Man Winter showed up with a vengeance this year. The first freeze of the winter season came early and hit hard, dropping to 28° on the night of November 13th. Sadly, my tomatoes and squash succumbed to the freeze but the broccoli, kale, cabbage and carrots proved that they are cold weather champs. And best of all, the mosquitos are gone until next year!
The cooler temperatures and shorter days of December slow gardening to a snail’s pace as the year comes to a close. I appreciate the break and look forward to meals of hearty greens, healthy beans and nourishing soups.
Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for December:
- Peruse seed catalogs, inventory your seed supply and order new varieties for the spring season. All-America Selections winners for 2019 include a small, orange snacking pepper called ‘Just Sweet,’ and a meaty, flavorful slicing tomato called ‘Chef’s Choice Black,’ the latest in a series of colorful Chef’s Choice hybrids. Check out the AAS website for more winning recommendations. https://all-americaselections.org/product-category/year/2019/
- Take advantage of mild winter days to clean out your garage or garden shed and tidy up the garden.
- Grow cool-season transplants for setting out in mid-January. Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, kale and cabbage are easy to start from seed and only take 6 weeks from seed to transplant size.
- Get ready to plant tomato seeds indoors. Count back about 8 weeks from when you want to plant outdoors. If you want to plant in early March you will need to start your seeds under grow lights in early January.
- Order certified seed potatoes late this month for a wider selection of varieties, including fingerlings. Here in Central Texas we plant potatoes in February but most seed companies don’t ship orders until March or April. Two online sources that ship to southern states are www.potatogarden.com and www.woodprairie.com; they will ship approximately 2 weeks before planting time.
- Provide a fresh source of water for birds and other wildlife in your garden.
- Take some time this month to review the past 12 months in the vegetable garden and think about changes, challenges and goals for 2019.
- Get those black-eyed peas ready for January 1, 2019!
Kale “pesto pasta” – so good even a 2-year-old will love it! By Patty and Bruce Leander
Kale Pesto
My nephew and his wife make this delicious pesto all year long; their daughters, ages 2 and 5, love to have kale “pesto pasta”. It freezes well and can also be made with collard greens or fava bean leaves.
1 bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
1-3 garlic cloves
¼ cup toasted walnuts
Juice of half a lemon (or more if desired)
¼-½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Blanch kale 1-2 minutes (reserve liquid to cook pasta). Process kale and remaining ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Add a splash of kale water if too thick. Stir into cooked pasta and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Once established, lettuce, spinach and other greens enjoy our cooler weather. By Bruce Leander
Stockpile leaves over the winter; corral them in a bin and let them gradually decompose into valuable leaf mold. By Bruce Leander
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