Showing posts with label onions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onions. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
early fall harvests
okay, i'll admit it. i am guilty of neglecting my gardens. i know i'm not alone, which is why i feel comfortable admitting this here. clearly taking on my most ambitious gardening efforts the same summer that i was planning a wedding [mine] and that my full-time job was extremely demanding was not the best idea. but still, i do not regret it. i know i could have actually pulled out the peas once they dried up back in july. and i know i could have planted some fall crops in their place, and in the place of the garlic i harvested months ago. but i didn't. and you know what? it's okay.
as much as i may have neglected my gardens these past two months, it is still producing. still making me happy every time i pick a tiny little cherry tomato off those volunteer plants wedged between the chard and beans. still surprising me when i pulled up over a dozen small onions that i thought were dead and shriveled [even if they're not much larger than the starts i planted back in the early spring, i will still eat them with pride].
so. even though my garden could have been better, more productive, more lush, more organized. it's not. and i am still so very grateful for what it produces. because of my efforts, or in spite of them.
Monday, May 2, 2011
mint, onions and tools
While most folks I know are trying to rid their gardens of mint, I brought home a chocolate mint plant last week from the farm. I love the addition of mint to a fruit salad and chocolate mint makes a nice tisane. Plus, I love the purple and green foliage.
This weekend we planted our onion sets and the leeks that we grew from seed. The shallots went in about a week ago. Here are the varieties we planted this year:
red onion-Red Baron
yellow onion-Stuttgarter
leek-Lincoln
shallot-Picasso
Having the right tools for the job makes gardening even more rewarding. We've found the stirrup hoe (on the right) to be indispensable. We first learned of this tool while volunteering at the herb gardens. It makes weeding (especially when weeds are small) a cinch. No bending over required! It's also a great cultivator.
For tough weeding jobs, I always reach for my Cobrahead weeder. It's what we use at the farm as well. If you despise weeding and have to deal with dandelions or other long roots in your garden, you should try out a Cobrahead weeder.
Tom's favorite tool is the Hori-Hori knife from Japan. He ordered one this winter and now uses it for everything from digging holes to weeding and cultivating.
What are some of your favorite tools?
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