• My account
  • Cart
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

The Coeur d'Alene Coop

Raising Chickens and Urban Gardening

  • Home
  • About Our Heirlooms
  • About Candace
  • Shop
    • NEW/RETURNING for 2023
    • Heirloom Tomatoes
    • Heirloom Peppers
    • Heirloom Vegetables
    • Herbs
    • Grown from Organic Seed
    • Container/Small Space
    • My Favorites!
  • CdA Coop Blog
    • Gardening
      • Garden Seed Series
      • Growing Tomatoes Series
      • Growing Garlic Series
    • Backyard Chickens
    • Recipes
  • Podcast
  • Garden Glossary
    • Q/A Sheet: How to Decide What to Grow in Your Garden
    • Ripe for the Picking: A Quick List of Common Fruit and Vegetables to Ripen On or Off the Vine
    • Vegetable Plant Family Chart
    • Seed Starting Charts
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Gardening / The Winter Garden

February 21, 2012 By Candace Godwin Leave a Comment

The Winter Garden

Welcome to the new home of

The Coeur d’Alene Coop!

If you have followed me over from the BlogSpot/Blogger blog, first, thank you!  Second, you can continue to receive updates via email by adding your email address in the box on the right sidebar.

If you are new to The Coop – welcome!  You’ll find lots of tips and advice for raising backyard chickens and gardening, which I like to call “urban farming.”   If you like what you read, please add your email address to get updates.

Now let’s get caught up:

It’s still winter here in Coeur d’Alene — as it should be for February 25th.  We’ve had a relatively mild and sunny winter this year; and for us personally, it was really sunny, since we spent the months of December and January in Mexico.

The sunny north Idaho winter has been great for our “winter garden project.”  Last fall I planted a couple of raised bed hoop houses with lettuce, kale, cress and spinach.  To my delight, these crops not only survived, but thrived.   I’m eager to harvest the kale — it’s just about ready!   The lettuce looks great and the cress is a peppery delight.  I see a winter salad of tender greens in my future soon.

Kale, lettuce, cress and mache overwinter in covered beds.

The carrots have overwintered well too — a nice thick covering of straw has helped them stay sweet and tender.  Peeking up from under that straw are the tiny tips of my Spanish Roja garlic.  Looking forward to that harvest later this spring!

Our chicken “girls” have thrived during the winter as well — everyone is healthy and we’re getting at least four eggs every day.  I really love the Rhode Island Red breed.  They are hardy birds, great winter layers and best of all, have sweet personalities.   Helen, the only survivor from the original flock, will be 4 years old in April.  Madge, our Buff Orpington, will be three.  Both girls still lay and are very healthy.  Our newest girls, Violet and Marigold’s 1, 2, and 3, are laying like mad — since this is their first year in production. I’m eager to get my hands in the dirt, but first there is the planning, inventorying the seed and ordering.  There isn’t anything better to do on a snowy Saturday then to curl up with a cup of tea and a stack of seed catalogs!

What’s on your seed/plant wish list for 2012?  I’ll be sharing mine next time!

 

Filed Under: Gardening

Get Garden Tips & More

« Crowd Sourcing to Get the Job Done
The Sure Signs of Spring »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts from The Coop

  • How to Quell the Urge to Start Seed in January January 6, 2023
  • 16: Funky Containers: How to Convert Old Treasures and Flowers into Masterpieces December 2, 2022
  • 15: Growing Herbs Indoors, It’s Easy and Fun! November 4, 2022

Search Our Plants Here

Shop by Category

Cart

the coop on facebook!

The Coeur d'Alene Coop

14 hours ago

The Coeur d'Alene Coop
Don't miss the annual seed swap!The Library is closed today but we wanted to let you know that our annual Seed Swap is coming soon!Eighth Annual Seed Swap Saturday, February 11th Join Outreach Librarian, Char Beach, and True to Seed for our annual Seed Swap! Bring your extra seeds (home-saved or purchased) to share with others and go home with some for your spring and summer planting. Learn about seed saving from some of our region’s avid seed savers, and take home seed varieties that you won’t find anywhere else and that are well-adapted to our growing conditions. No seed to swap? Come anyway, and consider making a donation to help cover costs and help our seed program grow. A donation is not necessary to participate. For more information contact Char Beach at cbeach@cdalibrary.org or call 208-769-2315 Ext. 651 ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

the coop on instagram!

thecoeurdalenecoop

Needless to say, I was smitten by the stained glas Needless to say, I was smitten by the stained glass ceiling of the Jardin Botanico greenhouse in Mexico City. Lovely, warm day walking throughout the Bosque de Chapultepec!

#thecoeurdalenecoop 
#mexicangardens
#jardinbotanico 
#greenhouseinspiration
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Join the Flock!

Sign up to get gardening & chicken keeping tips delivered to your inbox.

Copyright © 2023 The Coeur d'Alene Coop · Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814 · Privacy Policy · Log in
Website Design: Godwin Marketing Communications LLC