Second Planting

Having harvested all the garlic and shallots and many of the leeks (a good soup for dinner tonight!), I did a second a planting today.  Fool that I am, I planted the rest of the tomato seeds in the desperate hope that they will grow this time.  Fat chance. 

Tomatoes tucked in with the arugula

 

 

Got another planting of zucchini and beans - hope I'm not overdoing it with the zucchini.  So easy to do. 

Beans with Dom's leeks

Zucchini with my leeks

And finally, the collard greens!  Was planning to do that awhile back but decided it was too early.  Just planted 3 rows so I can do successive plantings.  If you've never tried collards greens, you must - they are so amazingly delicious.  And incredibly good for you, antioxidants up the wazoo. 

Brought the chickens down with me, first time they've been in the lower garden.  It took them awhile to find the compost heap, but once there it was a banquet.  Chipmunk is better at finding worms, but Mimique is better at stealing and eating them.  I didn't know chickens could eat so many worms.  They had a blast and no hawks came by to spoil the fun.

CSA

A few weeks ago I signed up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) with Riverview Farms, who delivers boxes of vegetables once a week to a church just a few miles away.  It's something I've been meaning to do for awhile, but I didn't pick the best time to do it.  Naturally, the CSA is delivering the same kinds of vegetables that I'm already growing.  No idea what to do with all the lettuce I've got.  Although they did throw in a bunch of stuff that I don't have, like beets and cabbage, plus a mystery vegetable which turned out to be kohlrabi.

Not sure I'll sign up for another round (this one ends next week).  For one thing, I'm sure they're going to be delivering a ton of zucchini and I've got 6 big prolific plants in my garden.  For another, it's just too many vegetables for 2 people.  For a family it would be great, but even though we eat a lot of vegetables, we can't get through them all in a week.  I might sign up for the fall season since I probably won't have anything growing by then.

Garlic braiding

Okay, so Janet asked about garlic braiding. I do not have the perfect approach because I have not figured out how to do it so that the actual braid does not show. That being said let me show what I do. First, we are talking about soft neck garlics. After harvesting let them dry for a few days. At least that's what I do. Then I strip and clean the stalks to make them ready to braid. This process is a judgment call. Essentially, I strip off the dirty outer layers of skin to get the stalk down to a size that would work to braid. It just takes practice and experience to decide what works. The actual braiding is like french braiding for those who have done it.

Start with three bulbs and tie them together with string. Then add (remember french braiding) a bulb and blend its stalk with either the left or right one and overlap them both to the middle. Then add another and blend its stalk with the one from the opposite side as it's worked to the middle in typical braiding action.

The images show the view from the front where the bulbs are added and then the reverse side where you see the braid.

Garlic Simul Harvest!

Yeah! We're finally doing something at the same time. I harvested my backyard garlics, Inchelium Red, last week. I'm thrilled. I do have to note that the size of the bulb is directly related to how much water the plants received. This weekend I'll harvest the front yard garlics, Lorz Italian. That geographic separation was my most realistic design for keeping the types separate and known. Now, the challenge will be to keep them documented in storage!

Garlic and shallot harvest

 I finally got around to harvesting my shallots and garlic today.  The garlic is in our little shed, where it needs to "cure" for 1-2 months.  I planted 4 kinds but forgot to note which is which, so now they're all mixed up.  They all look the same, anyway.  I'm going to cut the bulblets and try planting them in the fall, although supposedly that only works for ophio garlic (whatever that is).  Can't hurt.


The shallots are still in the field, per my instructions, where they'll stay for several days and then to into the room next to the greenhouse, because they need to cure, also.  I've attempted to cover the bulbs somewhat with the tops to protect them from sunburn.  I'll take care of that when I get back from Seattle next Monday.

Shallots drying in the field

Sunny in the leeks

Kim, tutorial on doing garlic braids, please!

Heat Wave!

No one in Georgia could possibly remain skeptical about global warming after the weather we've had and are scheduled to keep having, no relief in sight.  Well, maybe my neighbor John, but that's another story.  High 90s for days on end, and humid?  Uh huh.  Of course all my cold weather plants have bolted - which doesn't keep me from eating them - and I'm watering my warm weather plants pretty much every day.  Had to fill the rain barrel with the hose because it ran dry.

The beans and zucchini are doing fine, for now.  But what is it with me and tomatoes?  I planted 3 full rows of tomatoes and I got 2 - 2! - seedlings.  (Maybe they know I don't really like them.)  I'm keeping a close eye on those 2 and still watering the rest of the bed in case there are some late bloomers.

2 tomato seedlings - sad

bean plants - looking good

zucchini plants - will have too many, as usual