Winter Gardening: Spend a rainy day at the nursery in Half Moon Bay
by Gwen O’Neill
A six-pack of kale waiting to be planted and peas getting ready to be picked.
January, 2011 — Are you passionate about gardening and long for the spring days when you can dig in the dirt? I’ve discovered that winter vegetable gardening is a great antidote for the rainy day “blues.”
After a visit to Half Moon Bay Nursery, which is my favorite Bay Area nursery, I’m trying a new variety of spinach in my winter vegetable garden this month. Bordeaux is a new spinach developed by a Danish breeder. It has a new look with dark green leaves shaped like arrows and deep red veins and stems. It is described as having a sweet, subtle flavor and it will add a colorful and nutritious splash to salads or any other spinach dish.
If you want to try it in your winter garden, be aware that it is a quick-growing variety and may bolt, so make sure to harvest it when young, tender and small. The red stems turn green when cooked. I’m also planting a new variety of kale and will post notes on the progress of my winter veggie garden on the CoastViews blog, at coastviewsmag.com/views. It’s wonderful to live in an area where we can garden all year long. I planted peas in October that I will have picked them by the time this issue is published.
The Half Moon Bay Nursery is a perfect spot for browsing among a wide variety of plants to get ideas for your garden while you listen to classical music and opera playing softly in the background. The staff is helpful and knowledgeable. I spoke with Dominick Giorgetti who said that many more people are interested in having a year-round garden. “Alot of people are starting to buy kale. I planted four or five plots of kale and spinach in my yard. I juice every day so I use a lot,” he said. “People realize that having a
Six-pack of Bordeaux spinach.
few plants throughout the year in their garden saves money and trips to the store.” The most popular winter vegetables people buy at the Half Moon Bay Nursery are lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and kale.
The nursery’s address is 11691 San Mateo Rd., Half Moon Bay. For more information, call 650-716-3592 or visit the nursery’s website.
