17 January. Redlands, CA. Sunny, the rain has past and a chill is in the air.

We hope everyone is off to a Happy New Year,  enjoying the month of January and your cool season kitchen garden! We couldn’t be more pleased with how many of you are growing food beyond the typical summertime tomato and zucchini plants. Imagine our surprise to see ALL of our heirloom lettuces transplants [and pre-planted salad bowls] sell out in December. Has Bronze Mignonette and Freckles lettuce kicked the Poinsettia to the curb when it comes to holiday decor? We can hope. [yes, we like poinsettias, it's just that you cant eat them]

We are happy to say we have kicked off the  2012  growing  season in a very BIG way! [For those of you looking for us at the Saturday Morning Downtown Farmers Market, we are working full-time in the nursery operation and will return to market  in March] Remember the extended warm stretch around Christmas? Not ones to pass on prime germination temperatures, we sowed well over six thousand seeds in that window of time [and there are still more to sow!]  We built a modified hoop house over one of our growing racks to house all of the newly planted warm season heirloom edibles. Heaters and fans have been placed inside to provide warmth for the soil and vital air circulation. As of this morning, Jaune Flamme, Roman Candle, Principe Borghese, Henderson Pink Ponderosa, Yellow Pear, Black Krim & Cherokee Purple tomatoes have sprung to life as have: Fledderjohn & Aoyu Edamame, Kentucky Wonder & Rattlesnake Pole beans, Basil, Lemon Cucumbers, Fish Peppers & Dill. [Have a wish list started for your spring garden? Do email [cparker@rollinghillsherbs.com your lists,  pre-season reservations are always welcome!]

But, let’s get back to the cool season veggies for a bit. For all of you who have been patiently waiting for more heirloom leafy green transplants [lettuce!] , we are happy to say heirloom Arugula, Freckles & May Queen Lettuce transplants will be on the cart of Olive Ave Market in Redlands by weeks end!  Heirloom transplants of Yellow Chard & Rapini Broccoli [love to harvest this varieties  smaller heads and side shoots] will be joining them, so do plan on stopping in!  

In the weeks to come, look for more of the cool season favorites you all have come to love - heirloom kale, mache, spinach, cress, garlics, more lettuces, mesclun & even a flower or two [Valentines is just around the bend!] Isn’t it sublime in the coolness that is winter to spend moments in our gardens harvesting fresh food, staying connected the rhythms of Nature, letting the sun gently warm us? We think it is one of the best ways to stay healthy and happy when the days are shorter and germs are thriving indoors.

This month in your garden, remember to throw a frost blanket on when temperatures drop. Don’t worry, if it  does drop down and you forget, remember many cool season plants are quite hardy. Heck, plants like kale and broccoli actually taste better after a cold snap. In our home garden, we cover the garden when temps stay low for an extended period of time – more than one or two nights [rarely do we stay that cold in the day].

Frequent fertilizing is not advised this time of year. If you added a large amount of compost or fertilizer when you switched out your warm season garden to your cool one, you should still be good. If it has been more than 8 weeks and you feel the need to fertilize, try to time it when temperatures will be on the warmer side[70 and above] for at least 7 days. Plants process nutrients better in the warmth as they are not in a state of slowed metabolism and function. One word of caution – fertilizing leads to new growth [good] which is highly sensitive to frost and very cold temperatures [bad - much damage can occur - even death]. Again, have a frost blanket ready to cover when temps are low and to protect new growth.

Well hydrated plants stand up to frost so much better than thirsty ones. The key to watering in the cool season is to still water for the same length of time [deep soak at the soil] but less frequently [perhaps once or twice a week versus everyday like in the summertime].

And the last words for today - workshop! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 7th for a free,  hands-on workshop at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library  [555 W.  6th Street.  San Bernardino, CA 909.381.8238   www.sbpl.org] all to get you ready for ” Growing Great Food”.  Be ready to sow seeds, transplant, even harvest leafy greens. We have added this as an event on Facebook, so if you are planning on attending do let us know! Looking forward to seeing you then.