Tag: vegetables

  • Growing Potatoes

    Growing Potatoes

    Potatoes work rather well in the Mediterranean garden if planted early enough and in good soil. When to Plant I planted some in September of 2022 as an experiment to see if I could get new potatoes for Christmas. Sadly, a slight winter frost early in December killed them all off – despite a thick…

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  • April in the Mediterranean Garden: Managing Abundance

    April in the Mediterranean Garden: Managing Abundance

    Spring is probably easy in just about any garden anywhere. It is definitely easy in our Mediterranean garden. The spring rains were plentiful again this year and so for once there are no water restrictions in force. The sun is getting stronger by the day and everything grows by leaps and bounds. Sometimes I just…

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  • Lettuce Tips & Tricks

    Lettuce Tips & Tricks

    In this Mediterranean garden I plant lettuce between September and May. The mild winters are wonderful for growing lettuce and lots of other hardy greens and vegetables like cabbages and beets. Summers are definitely too hot – even when grown under a shade canopy, lettuces won’t thrive, will suffer from pests, and will taste bitter.…

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  • Asparagus acutifolius

    Asparagus acutifolius

    In March and April seemingly all of Occitanie goes crazy for wild asparagus. It is found in woody or uncultivated places, like the garrigue, on dry and sunny soil. I haven’t found masses of it while out walking but every spring I do find quite a few young shoots in the garden on the slopes,…

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  • The Potager in Winter: Cabbage & Co.

    The Potager in Winter: Cabbage & Co.

    Cabbage works like a charm here – at least if planted over the winter. I usually plant cauliflower and Brussel sprouts in early or late fall. They’re just fine with colder temperatures and as soon as the weather gets warmer you can watch them grow bigger by the day. Last year I planted a little…

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  • The Potager in Winter: Lamb’s Lettuce & Fedia

    The Potager in Winter: Lamb’s Lettuce & Fedia

    Growing vegetables during the Mediterranean winter is as easy as sowing/planting in October/November and harvesting from January. Last fall I sowed sugar snap peas, cima di rapa, wild chicory, salsify, purple cauliflower, radiccio, lattughino, lamb’s lettuce and fedia etc. Lamb’s lettuce is one of the easiest and most satisfying lettuce crops – it’s not prone…

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