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torquillI took advantage of the shift in the weather (75 degrees in the afternoon!) to spend a couple of hours in the garden.
Not a lot of surprises... most everything is still there. The potato onions had finally died back, though, so I pulled them -- holy crap that's a lot of onions. I planted about eight to ten bulbs last fall, and hauled away a full paper grocery bag today. Pounds and pounds. They aren't as big as they might be, because I didn't separate them enough (note to self: treat them like garlic) but most are quite respectable, the size of large shallots. Next round they should make it up to the full 2-3" across.
They've been set out with the garlic to finish drying, and then I'll distribute a couple of pounds to other people (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mactavish, do you want some?) and the co-ops at Davis, set aside a couple of pounds to re-plant here, and store the rest. I haven't tried any yet, so I'm just assuming they're the mild yellow cooking onions they're said to be. (Yes, I still hate onions. I'll doubtless "try" them by throwing a couple into a main dish as I would any onion, and possibly handing a bite of a raw one to someone else to test.)
I spent the rest of the daylight hours clearing out the winter garden. I took out large piles of grassy weeds, though they seeded so much they'll be back in no time. All the old decrepit crop plants have been pulled, the debris cleared away; I need to shear the snapdragons to keep them happy, and then the place will be ready for digging. The first plants can go in in six weeks, so I'm in good time... I should think about sowing broccoli, if I'm going to do that. Maybe I'll do lettuce this year. Definitely collards.
I'll double-dig the pea bed and put sweet peas in there, since Lathyrus species aren't bothered by the Ascochyta pisi that keeps killing the sugar snap peas... I'll see about excavating the old bean trellis and put the peas out there, since I can run that one small part of the summer watering system all winter if I like. (Hooray for independent controls!) With a little luck, that should allow me to eliminate the Ascochyta blight infestation in a couple of years, so that I can go back to growing edible peas in the usual spot.
It feels good to get back into harness.
Not a lot of surprises... most everything is still there. The potato onions had finally died back, though, so I pulled them -- holy crap that's a lot of onions. I planted about eight to ten bulbs last fall, and hauled away a full paper grocery bag today. Pounds and pounds. They aren't as big as they might be, because I didn't separate them enough (note to self: treat them like garlic) but most are quite respectable, the size of large shallots. Next round they should make it up to the full 2-3" across.
They've been set out with the garlic to finish drying, and then I'll distribute a couple of pounds to other people (
mactavish, do you want some?) and the co-ops at Davis, set aside a couple of pounds to re-plant here, and store the rest. I haven't tried any yet, so I'm just assuming they're the mild yellow cooking onions they're said to be. (Yes, I still hate onions. I'll doubtless "try" them by throwing a couple into a main dish as I would any onion, and possibly handing a bite of a raw one to someone else to test.)I spent the rest of the daylight hours clearing out the winter garden. I took out large piles of grassy weeds, though they seeded so much they'll be back in no time. All the old decrepit crop plants have been pulled, the debris cleared away; I need to shear the snapdragons to keep them happy, and then the place will be ready for digging. The first plants can go in in six weeks, so I'm in good time... I should think about sowing broccoli, if I'm going to do that. Maybe I'll do lettuce this year. Definitely collards.
I'll double-dig the pea bed and put sweet peas in there, since Lathyrus species aren't bothered by the Ascochyta pisi that keeps killing the sugar snap peas... I'll see about excavating the old bean trellis and put the peas out there, since I can run that one small part of the summer watering system all winter if I like. (Hooray for independent controls!) With a little luck, that should allow me to eliminate the Ascochyta blight infestation in a couple of years, so that I can go back to growing edible peas in the usual spot.
It feels good to get back into harness.
