Late fall and early winter have always been the saddest time of year for me. This is the furthest point in the calendar year from tending to growing fruits and vegetables. I think this must be why somebody bunched so many holidays together at this time…to help us forget the bleak frozen dirt outside our doors.

But I’m never one to give up easily. Which is why I keep planting well into fall, and make sure that at least a few of our 52 garden beds have something hardy and green in them for as long as mother nature-ly possible.

We’ve had many frosts this year, but luckily they’ve been fairly shallow. We were able to harvest a full range of garden fresh vegetables for the Thanksgiving table. And we hope to continue through Christmas with a little sun and continued luck.

Then in January, the seed catalogs start coming…and I can spot the light at the end of the tunnel.

Take a look at our garden as of the end of November in the slide show below. (Captions below pictures.) Maybe you’ll get some ideas to extend your own garden next winter:

Winter Spinach

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Last year, our Bloomsdale Spinach lived through the winter. A heavy snowfall that doesn't thaw can actually serve to insulate plants. We're hoping for the same this year.

Radish Sprout

What do we love most about planting in beds? The scattershot seed planting method…or “scattersow.” With 52 beds to prep and till each spring, we sometimes lose patience for planting in neat rows. When the sun starts to set on Sunday afternoons, and we know we have to race for the train back to the city, we’ve been known to toss a handful of seeds into the breeze above a bed and hope for the best.

Maybe that’s not the most responsible method, but when you’re dealing with teeny tiny seeds like lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots…it sure does save a lot of time.

The downside is that in order for this method to work best, we have to oversow to avoid any gaps. Which means that at some point a few weeks later we pay for our shortcut by having to thin our excess seedlings. That can be a waste – something we especially don’t like at The Beekman.

But we’ve learned a trick.

A few different types of companion plantings work great for scattersowing together. Especially radishes and carrots. Both are teensy seeds and are easy to mix together in hand and toss like grass seed on a bed. The great part is that the radishes sprout almost immediately, and are quick to grow. The carrots take much longer. So by the time the bed seems impossibly crowded, the radishes are ready to harvest and leave enough room behind for the carrots.

Not too close for comfort...yet.

Give it a shot. Let us know what you think. And if you have any of your own “scattersow” stories & tips, please share them below…

Purple Carrots

THE GREEN LEAVES OF THE CARROT should be removed prior to storage.  They wilt quickly, and as they wilt, they’ll siphon moisture away from the carrot.

Carrots have a higher sugar content than any other vegetable except the sugar beet.

Eat Your Vegetables---even parsnips

PARSNIPS ARE RELATED TO CARROTS AND CELERY and have a slightly celery-like fragrance and a sweet and peppery taste.    They have a high sugar content and have even been used to make wines and cake flour.

We’ve used them for mundane purposes like mashed parsnips instead of mashed potatoes.  Parnsips are a good source of folate and Vitamin C, and one bite, not matter how they are prepared, will convince you of their fiber content.

Carrots

CARROTS CONTAIN THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAROTENOIDS. Beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein. Lutein in particular is thought to play an important role in eye health by preventing free radical damage.

Keep in mind that carotenoids are enhanced when eaten with a fat or an oil.  There you go.  Permission to eat a little dressing with your salad.

YES, WE WERE THAT DESPERATE. It was almost like something out of Gone With the Wind. Over the last holiday season we had one snowstorm after another, and after four days of being snowed in, we went out to the garden with a kettle of boiling water and poured it over the carrot patch. Sure enough, we were able to pry out four or five good sized frozen carrots from last season. Of course we had plenty of canned veggies in our basement, but sometimes you just want something fresh (or at least frozen-fresh.) Plus we were a little bored.

One of us is not a huge carrot fan (we’re not saying which) but we both crave parsnips from time to time. Our favorite preparation for them is to roast them then puree. They’re actually sweeter than carrots. We’re thinking about making a parsnip pie when they come in this year. What do you think?

Here are the types of carrots and parsnips we’re thinking about growing this season. Any kinds you would add?

BELGIAN WHITE CARROT – Introduced before 1863, this carrot has been noted by Burr for its remarkable productiveness even on poor soils. It is considered the best white carrot. Roots are pure white with green shoulders and 8 10 in. long. Practically coreless and very mild flavor. Delicious in stews, soups or raw.

COSMIC CARROT – Deep purple on the outside with vivid orange-yellow interior. Somewhat spicy.

CHANTENAY LONG TYPE, ROUGE DEMI CARROT – Longue de Chantenay Developed in France in the 1830’s, this carrot has exquisite flavor. Roots are deep orange, approximately 5 7 in with tender flesh. Superb for juicing, canning, freezing or fresh.

NANTES SCARLET HALF LONG CARROT – Introduced pre 1900, this carrot is an old favorite because of its sweet flavor and fine grained flesh. Roots are cylindrical, blunt tipped, 7 in., nearly coreless. Very good for juicing. Keeps well through long season. Can be harvested all winter if protected with mulch.

SUGAR HOLLOW CROWN PARSNIPS–  Introduced in 1850, this parsnip is still the most popular commercial variety. The white roots are 10 15 in. long, smooth and tapered from 3 in. diameter. Few hairy side root. Flesh is sweet, tender and fine grained. Frost hardy.