The ornamental cherry trees which line the street between the Chef’s garden and the hotel have put out the first of their blooms. It does not seem like it has been warm enough for blooms, but the trees are waking from dormancy because nights are shorter in addition to gradually warming temperatures.

Anna Ashby, our master gardener, left off last week with a snow covered garden. Many folks have been concerned about the survival of the various plants. Rest assured, the plants are just fine. Plants that have lived through the winter thus far, have deep root systems and higher sugar concentrations in their cells to aid

Just when we thought that we might be over the worst of the winter weather we were reminded that indeed we were not in charge of the weather.

Last Tuesday morning we were greeted with the presence of a bit of snow. The temperature was above freezing so it soon melted. Purple Sprouting Broccoli | The Allison gardeners are harvesting the purple sprouting broccoli at least once per week to stay on top of production. Kale | The gardeners will harvest kale this

There’s nothing like a few sunny afternoons to kick early flowers into gear. This is the first crocus seen in the Garden this year. Unlike the saffron crocus, which blooms in October, this one does not have edible filaments; it’s simply the first welcoming harbinger of spring.

special thanks to master gardener – anna ashby RADICCHIO | It’s said that a person’s true colors come to light under challenging circumstances. That also applies to some plants that live through winter temperature extremes. This small radicchio, which has no winter protection, is flourishing. The Allison garden has a good supply. PURPLE BROCCOLI |

The broccoli is slowly developing and becoming more distinctly purple. Presuming it will survive the coming freeze, it should be ready for harvesting in the next ten days. Purple broccoli is only the first of three varieties. The other two varieties haven’t started forming heads yet. We harvested the last of the parsnips this week.

The micro-greens we planted this time of year are flourishing. Today, we have 9 hours and 21 minutes of daylight. If one works outside, this is a big deal! The plants in the greenhouse certainly appreciate more minutes of light. As a result, we have plenty of micro-greens. We’ve been harvesting radishes as they reach

This immature radicchio is doggedly growing despite the cold, rain, and wind. This month the radicchio has moved from a loose rosette to forming tiny heads. We hope to harvest in six to eight weeks. Besides weeds, other vegetables that are doggedly growing away this winter are fava beans, garlic, and leeks. The leeks need

Here’s yet another winter sunrise picture for you. We’ve gained 12 minutes of daylight since December 21. Today our first light was 7:18, with the official sunrise at 7:51. The days are getting longer!! We had an exciting week. When I looked at the thermometer, the micro-greens had slowed to sloth speed. It read 50