In this video, I am planting dahlia tubers and crocosmia mix corms on January the 16th, 2021, in zone 8b. My first winter Amaryllis bloom was Marquis, and it is in the intro! This year, I am planting an assortment of winter vegetables I will be updating later.
I have planted strawberry cabbage lettuce, Alpine strawberries, Kyoto red carrots, Red Cored Chantenay carrots, Japanese Minowase Daikon radish, Early Wonder Beets, and Cipolle di Tropea onions. I am enjoying growing vegetables throughout the winter! It will be necessary to watch the weather and be prepared to cover my containers with blankets if the weather forecasts a freeze. So far, the plants have survived 30 and 31 degree nights without covering. Still, I don’t want to make the mistake of not covering if it gets into the 20s, which doesn’t happen very often. I may have to cover my plants overnight a few times throughout this winter, but most nights will hover in the high 30s and 40s.
I also spent some time doing fall garden clean up. I have enjoyed using the Sunbelt weed fabric but have found it still requires some weeding and maintenance. I have kept all fallen leaves and debris swept off and kept the edges trim with the weed eater. I think I would rather sweep my garden than pull weeds any day! The result of not keeping the weed mat clean is that weeds will grow in the mulched debris. I will place some rabbit manure in the holes left from last year’s plantings and cover that with hay to prevent weeds from growing over the winter.
Last November, I planted some echinacea seeds gathered for Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea, and I am so curious what colors will bloom this summer. In this photo, you can see the echinacea and my grape hyacinth doing well in the cold weather of January!
Lake Mary Gardens 