It did leave a light dusting of snowflakes on the ground, making it feel even more like Christmastime! I've left the stems and crunchy leaves from most of my beautiful plants in the ground. I think it makes a statement: this is not just a dead patch of wintry ground, this is a beautiful garden that is sleeping. And the architectural interest of the stems most definitely beats plain old snow drifts.
I also enjoy those super hardy, stubborn plants that stay green and even try to bloom in freezing weather. It's always inspiring to look out in the middle of December and see some fleshy green Kale or a pansy blossom that refuses to stop just because it's the dormant season!
We've even had a radish here or there, and had a salad of freshly picked Spinach just about a week ago now. But-- as soon as I get the rest of the bulbs in the ground (oops! procrastinated on that one again!)-- I'm pretty sure the gardening will have to come indoors. I already have a beautiful poinsettia, and the other indoor plants will probably be getting a little more attention, too.
And Mike has found a new gardening pursuit to focus his energy on: Aquaponics.
Aquaponics is the growing of crops in water utilizing the waste from aquatic animals as fertilizer. Apparently it's the only form of hydroponics (aqueous vegetable farming) that can be done organically. Typically the water from a fish tank is circulated into a tank where vegetables are growing in nothing but nutrient-filled water for soil. And the yield is supposed to be great.
Above, you see Mike's first aquaponic experiment: radishes and lettuce grown in the turtle tank, with the turtle pictured above as well. No, we won't eat these-- I'm sure we'd get a great case of Salmonella if we did! But he assures me that it can be done safely, and is not at all as disgusting as it sounds, growing your food in fish excrement. Delish.
So if you haven't brought in your glass patio table or unscrewed your hose from the faucet, it's time, because winter is here!
When are the veggies grown in turtle excrement due to be harvested? I'll make sure to not take my vacation to visit you guys then. hehe. It did make me laugh out loud though!
ReplyDeleteThey are not going to be harvested because turtle excrement contains salmonella - however veggies grown in just fish excrement are very good to eat.
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