Winter garden

This is a couple of my raised beds that sit end to end.  The beds are 7 feet long.  This was a couple weeks ago.  I have not harvested any of the cabbage yet, but they are ready anytime.  I brought in the last of my cauliflower two days ago, and I froze the last of the broccoli that I planted from plants back at the end of September.  At the same time as I set those plants in one bed, I also planted a row of broccoli at the end of this bed... from seed.  I noticed 3 or 4 days ago that the broccoli from seed is starting to show signs of little heads.  These are now full size plants that you can see behind the beets. I have a full bed of brussel sprouts that will probably be ready in a couple weeks.  I regularly pick spinach or kale from another bed to use in my green smoothies.  Swiss chard is tall and shiny. Lots of onions and garlic are distributed in several beds.

Today was a beautiful day.  I had planned to get up to my garden this morning, but our day got turned in a different direction, so I didn't get out there till late afternoon.  We are having some frosty cool mornings and I'm figuring it is a good time to cut back my asparagus plants.  This is my first experience with asparagus, which I planted a year ago about this time.  A friend said I needed to cut my asparagus back in the winter.  I thought I wasn't supposed to do any cutting until they were three years old.  I then asked the lady at my local nursery and she advised me that I should cut them down to the ground after there has been a frost.  Well I think we have had a few frosts, so I wanted to get it done.  If you cut them back too soon they could start new growth and then get hit by frost and damage the plants. My asparagus bed is now all trimmed back and I have covered the whole bed with an additional 3 or 4 inches of soil.  All of my raised beds are 18" deep, except the asparagus bed... because I didn't want to disturb the bed when I was adding to the depth of the other beds.  My husband will add another row of boards around the asparagus bed tomorrow, then all beds will be where I want them.

I am really enjoying my gardening experience.  Lots of work, but it is good work.  Brings me great joy to be able to share some of my produce with others.