Category: In the garden

Planting Garlic and Shallots

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Today, I planted garlic and shallots. First, I cleaned out the tomato, marigold, squash and basil plants and weeded the plot (or three quarters of it before it got too dark). I scaled down my garlic amount (to 12 hardnecks and 15 softnecks) because as an empty-nester, I sadly don’t need 60 heads a year anymore. I am also trying my luck with shallots for the first time. I planted 12 shallots, each of them should yield 4 to 12 shallots. I mulched with the last mini straw bale Allendale Farm had for sale. There are quite a few seed heads in the straw (I think it was from the Halloween decor section), so I am bracing myself for some intense weeding next year.

Softnecks
Shallots
Shallot source
Plot today. Still need to weed one quarter or so. Only leeks and chard growing at this point

Winter Squash

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The night temperatures are expected to dip into the low thirties tonight, so I harvested all my squash (or whatever was left of it after two thefts over the past couple months). Three butternut squash and three honeynut squash. Sadly, no Delicata squash this year. The butternuts are slightly under-ripe, but I hope they will be okay. I also harvested some chard. Still growing in the garden are chard, kale, leeks and one butternut squash. I plan to clean up my plot and plant garlic and shallots this weekend.

Today’s Harvest

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Today, I spent a few hours in the garden weeding (in particular mint and those pesky Jerusalem artichokes that have been taking over the fence area of my plot). I filled two lawn bags with mostly Jerusalem artichokes, yikes! I also planted four basil seedlings that I had rooted from cuttings a couple weeks before and sowed cilantro and two rows of beets (Chiogga and Golden). I had to take out the bush beans as they were completely destroyed by the resident rabbit and planted cilantro in their place. Oh well.

First Eggplant and Planting Beans

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I harvested my first eggplant today. Yay! There are quite a few more on my two Asian Eggplant plants. This is very exciting, as I usually don’t have much luck with eggplant. I also planted beans this morning, two rows of Slenderette bush beans where the garlic used to be and two rows of Kentucky Wonder pole beans where the peas used to be. The plot is pretty much fully planted right now. There is still a little space for fall greens and radishes to be planted in about a month. And enough space for the squash to spread out. Fingers crossed.

Garlic Harvest 2023

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Just harvested and tied for transport

This morning, I harvested all my garlic. I have 17 hardnecks (Red Russian) and 21 softnecks (Transylvania), which is funny, because I planted 16 hardnecks and 20 softnecks. The heads are nice and big. I put the garlic on the porch to cure in indirect sunlight for two to three weeks. (I will spread them out a little more tomorrow.)

Hardneck on the top, softnecks on the bottom

First of July

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Today is the first day of July. Things are coming along nicely in the garden. The cold spring caused some delays, but made the peas and lettuce greens very happy. It now seems to be summer here and the cucumbers, tomatoes and squash plants have been taking off. I can see the first baby eggplants emerging. I planted the last two (extremely sad looking) winter squash seedlings (butternut and delicata) and fertilized them with Tomato-tone. I had fertilized all other seedlings about ten days ago and together with the rain we have had this past week it made a huge difference. Here is hoping for a bountiful harvest.