Braiding Garlic

My teenager insisted that I wait with braiding the garlic until she got back from a trip. So I did. She pleated both braids that now hang in our pantry. Overall, I harvested 51 heads of garlic this summer, which should take us well into next spring.

33 softnecks braided and 18 hardnecks in the wooden bowl
(including a couple of softnecks with “broken necks”)
Stocking up the pantry

August Check-In

I took advantage of the cooler temperatures yesterday morning and spent two hours weeding my garden plot. My cucumbers are on their way out. They have started to wilt, I think I might have over-watered them. The green beans never made it. The seedlings are eaten by something/someone right after they emerge from the ground – I suspect the resident rabbit. The parsley died again. Like last year, the leaves turned reddish and pale and the plant basically disappeared. I ripped it out. I did some research and found that it might be due to a phosphorus deficiency. I will have to seriously amend my soil this fall. The greens are doing very well and the squash is looking good as well. The eggplants are growing nicely and the tomatoes and basil are also doing well. The first dahlias will bloom very soon – I am super excited. Soon I will put in fall greens and beets.

Greens and squash

Mid-July Harvest

Yesterday’s harvest: five cucumbers, Swiss chard and basil. I had harvested two cucumbers a couple of days earlier, so I used some of them up in last night’s dinner: I made a big Greek salad and served it alongside Mediterranean steak tips (marinated with fresh herbs from the back porch) with yogurt sauce, roasted garlicky eggplant, tahini sauce and rice. That still leaves four cucumbers 🙂

Garlic

Hardneck

Today I harvested my garlic. It was a good year, based on the amount and the size of the heads. Now they are drying a bit on the porch for a couple of days and then will be cleaned and cured in the back hallway. I am guessing I got about 50 to 60 heads, both hardnecks and softnecks. This should last us throughout the year.

Softnecks on the left, hardnecks on the right

First Cucumber

… and last lettuce (for now). I also pulled some more onions. The garlic is almost ready. I spent a couple of hours in the garden this morning weeding and trellising the cucumbers. I also planted more beans. Only a few came up and most of them had their little leaves nibbled off. I am blaming the woodlice, of which I have many in my plot. It is probably all the decaying wood from the plot borders that keeps them happy (as apparently are my tender seedlings).

Cucumber trellis (and too-close kale)
The plot this morning
There is still asparagus coming up in the plot.