Undercover Salad

As of yesterday, eight kinds of lettuce, mizuna, tatsoi, spinach, bok choi, daikon, kale, collards, carrots, chard, Italian parsley, and thyme: that's what's still growing under these snow-clad half-domes.

Just a short run from the front stoop for salad.

Now if only they'd legalize that other herb.

Everything's Coming Up Brussels

Harvested Brussels sprouts and carrots this week. Both are sweet and delicious. The kale and collards in the same box have also survived thus far.

Each stalk yielded over two pounds of sprouts.

I like to think the snow insulation helped protect everything endure through the temps in the teens and twenties the past two weeks.

Tucked in for Fall

I've finally taken down my overburdened tomato cages, cleaned out the boxes, and put them to bed for autumn. At the same time, I've discovered a way to attractively attach functional row covers without the use of unsightly sandbags. These row covers (Agribon+ AG-19 Floating Row Cover) were purchased from Johnny's Seeds. They provide frost protection down to 28°F/-2°C. Hopefully, with the warmer micro climate of our sun-facing and sloping front yard, we'll get some produce for a few more weeks. Check back and watch me eat crow.

I stapled each side of the row cover to an 8-foot cedar 2"x2". Then I rolled each side taut over the hoops, and tucked them through 1 1/2-inch galvanized plumbing clamps on either end of the box. The four bricks hold the cloth down on each end. So far, they have proved quite stout in wind and rain.

Makes a pretty simple, clutter-free box, with no heavy (and unsightly) sandbags to move. To access each box, just move the bricks and slip the 2"x2"s out from the clamps and roll back.

Looking west to an early winter sky. Under cover, I still have several types of lettuce, collards, kales, Brussels sprouts, peas, bok choi, spinach, tatsoi, mizuna, chard, carrots, and a few herbs.

After the election, I took down all yard signs but the Green Party candidate's. He's the only one I didn't have to plug my nose to support.

Curb appeal? I think so.