Tennessee Winter Gardening

This winter season  I attempted to keep some veggies going through the cold season  to see what happened.   During the summer, the carrots were not what you would call-nice.   They seemed to be stubby and malformed little creatures more suited for the movies, than the dinner table.   I also did not have much luck with spinach, it would really not respond, even though I did make sure plenty of water was available.  

This fall I tilled the garden up and mounded up some rows and planted several rows of carrots, some spinach and kale.  Kale has a horrible reputation for flavor, but it has many claims of a hardy winter plant- why not give it a shot.   Let's fast forward to November, where it was bitter cold here in the Nashville area,  and everything lived through that cold snap.  I have been picking some kale and spinach for salads and an occasional omelet in November and December.   

Today the weather was warm and I did some tree work around the yard, although it was quite muddy.  I checked the spinach and kale and thought I would pick some before we get the single digit temps predicted this week and possible burn the leaves.  I also checked some of my carrots that I planted in late September and they were perfect.   No more of the stunted malformed crap.  Long slender beauty queens of the Earth to be adored.  Wow, you can garden all winter in Tennessee.  It is January 3, 2015 and I am picking veggies!!  We have plenty of carrots coming along and we should be able to get a salad a week from the garden.
Just for the record, the kale is incredibly delicious.   It is good raw in salads or in soups as well.  Linda included it in a chicken based soup and it was really good, great texture and flavor.  Winter garden is  muddier, it is never really dry, but you have no pest problems and the weeds are all in Florida.  I think I am going to like it more each winter.

I have been getting more active and doing some indoor running.  I am seriously thinking about some indoor competition in Kentucky in February.  That would be something new to me and many of  the 'life' experts are always preaching the  mantra to try something new, regardless of your age.  Maybe this can shut them up for a while.

By the way, Happy 2015 and go Buckeyes and Go Steelers!!!!!!!