Winter Raised Bed Garden

My harvest today was collards, lettuce, and cilantro. I live near Tulsa, Oklahoma, located in the southern midwest of North America.

I have black gumbo clay dirt, which is awful for gardening. It dries rock hard and acts like pudding when wet. I installed eight 8 x 4 x 1 foot galvanized beds. I installed frost and bug netting with support made from 1/2 inch PVC pipes and 1-inch x 8-foot wood. I screwed the wood slats to the PVC pipes and attached the piping to the beds using 3/4 inch water pipe brackets. The hard part was hauling all my dirt delivered by Gem garden dirt company from my front yard to my backyard using my Gorilla dump wheelbarrow. I love that wheelbarrow; it's super tough!

My chicken house is to the left; I have eight hens and get three to four eggs a day in the winter. The Hens slow down from limited sunlight and go on a vacation. The neighbors don't seem to mind the hens fighting over the nesting box. They all want to nest in the same box at the same time. Silly hens!

I grew winter crops that are easy to care for, like collards and kale, which have a high mineral content and are essential vitamins.

From September through October, I planted winter lettuce, all-season, and red lettuce. I pick the bottom leaves until the plants start to develop seed heads. I let the best plants go to seed for my next round of plantings. Lettuce grown in quality dirt has a high nutritional content too. I was surprised by how many vitamins are in a serving of lettuce.

• Vitamin C: It helps in supporting the immune system. Being high in antioxidants, it keeps bones and teeth strong.
• Calcium helps in the healthy development of bones and muscles, nerve functioning, and blood clotting.
• Vitamin K again is necessary for blood clotting. It also prevents bone mineral loss and fractures caused due to osteoporosis.
• Vitamin A supports cell growth and reproductive health. It is also important to maintain the health of the eyes, heart, kidneys, and lungs.
• Folate to support cell division, production of DNA, and genetic material.
• Phosphorus works with calcium to support healthy bones and teeth.
• Magnesium relaxes the muscles and promotes the functioning of enzymes.
• Potassium regulates the negative impact of sodium on your body and support nerve function. It also helps in the normal contraction of your muscles.

Health Benefits Of Lettuce

The small dark green leaf plant is called the Japanese mustard plant. It has a subtly sweet taste and doesn't taste like mustard. You can steam, stir-fry, or use the leaves in salads. The plant sprouts quickly either through starting in a tray or direct planting. It grows year-round in my garden if I start it before freezing temperatures. We can have a month's worth of days below freezing in Oklahoma. But extended freezes last a couple of weeks, usually after January through March.