Woohoo! In early December we had summer storms most afternoons for almost a week. The day would start with that sticky humidity that continued building until late afternoon where it would break and all that lovely rain would fall. It was quite heavy at times and I had wished that I had set up the rain gauge that my Dad gave me one Christmas. The kids had played with all the parts and it is lost somewhere. But I do know that the amount was significant and because of the consistency really had time to give the soil a good deep soak – a few days later the soil was moist under its layer of mulch. What an awesome early Christmas gift for the garden and also everyone’s spirits.

The veggie patch was looking a bit sad before this rain. I had actually come to a decision that I would leave one section empty over summer, focus on growing in a small section of the patch and investigate wicking containers to grow in. What a difference a week of rain makes! How fortunate we were to have it.

My Sunray beans plants (which I thought had common bean blight) picked up in December. Some seedlings had failed to thrive, but a few were looking OK. One plant even produced a couple of healthy looking beans. The Climbing bean plant doubled in size and had flowers. My Snake bean plants also doubled their growth in December. It was finally time to train them on a frame. I like eating beans, so a supply of a few different varieties is fantastic!

 

 

Seeing zucchini flowers this past month made my heart sing. I don’t know what it is about zucchini flowers, but I always smile when I see them. It could be their vibrant yellow colour – These plants are the Yellow Crookneck ones. One year we had Blackjack zucchinis growing in abundance and every time I have tried growing them after that, I have had no luck. However, the Yellow Crooknecks produced well last time and I have noticed that they don’t get as affected by powdery mildew like the Blackjacks do.

Tarragon is a herb I haven’t used before. In December, I had some cuttings in small pots and they were ready to go into the ground. They too enjoyed the rain and showed their enjoyment by growing bushy. My friend puts tarragon in egg salad and said it is delish, so I might give that a go. If you use tarragon in your cooking, please let me know in the comments below – I’m interested in trying this herb in my kitchen.

 

Sorrel has also been an addition to my salads and sandwiches this past month. It has a lemony taste that I don’t like on it’s own (although my guinea pigs love it munching on it). But when mixed in with other salad greens or in a sandwich the taste isn’t as overpowering.

After all that rain my Walking stick kale was attacked by snails. I thought that snails were afraid of heights, but I guess not! I like this type of kale because the leaves are large and you only need a couple when you are using them in the kitchen. I use these kale leaves in my stir fries. I chop them finely (don’t use the stalk – it’s tough) and add them in at the end of cooking… there is your green nutrient hit of goodness!

There is a quick rundown of what has been happening in my veggie patch this past month. For more regular updates, don’t forget to Like our Facebook  page.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR DECEMBER HAPPENINGS IN YOUR VEGGIE PATCH? WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW! PLEASE LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.