Egyptian walking onions

I was given a single perennial walking onion three years ago. I planted it, then didn't pay much attention as I didn't really know what to do with them. The onions didn't have a specific time when the needed to be harvested and they had these funny topsets bulbs.

But I've gradually become braver and have been pulling up a few plants now and then. They look like scallions or bunching onions, but the flavor is unique and pungent - similar to a shallot. They tend to disintegrate with cooking, so I like to add them to a stir fry or an omelet as it finishes cooking.

I haven't yet tried eating the topsets. I hear some say they are tasty and some say they are not. My walking onions have multiplied fast, and without any help form me. Sometimes I move a venturesome topset from a path and put it back in the bed. In midsummer, as new shoots come up and old ones die back, I clean up the clump by pulling out the dead onions. Mostly, they do their own thing. I have quite a big clump of them now and am growing quite fond of them.

Skippy in the rain

rainy October garden

wet and rainy

For the past 2 weeks we have had rainy, damp, cool and cloudy weather. My front lawn is growing mushrooms. These photos are from last week (taken with my waterproof camera), but the garden still looks the same - wet. Its great for the fall crops.

I've been waiting for a dry day to work my garlic bed. Last Friday was dry, and I got time to plant my cold frame. Then we had a dry day on Monday and i was able to spread a few nice wheelbarrows full of compost on my still unplanted garlic bed. I was hopping to plant garlic today, but its raining now. Not sure I want to work in the mud. I will probably just stop by my plot and check on it, with my raincoat and waterproof camera....

savoy cabbage

I harvested this beautiful cabbage head a few days ago. I'm looking for a good recipe as I have a special guest visiting this weekend. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking of maybe an apple and cabbage coleslaw served in the cabbage leaves. ... Some tangy green apples, with a few carrots, raisins and onions added. Maybe this recipe: Yummly Apple Raisin Cole Slaw Recipe.

getting the cold frame ready for winter

Friday, I transplanted my winter seedlings to my cold frame.

Before transplanting, I removed the cucumber vines and eggplants that were in the frame over the summer. I picked lots of cucumbers and a few eggplants, then pulled out the eggplants and pushed the cucumber vines to the back. There is still a big tomato plant growing in the frame and some herbs (rosemary, oregano, parsley and basil).

The seedlings I transplanted are all greens: lettuce, spinach, escarole, bok choy, etc. I'd like them to grow to harvest size over the next few weeks, while there is still enough light for them to grow. Later, they will stop growing but will hopefully remain good for harvest all winter. What actually happens depends on the weather.

The weather has been perfect weather for the recent transplants - rainy and cool. They look really good today. I will give them some fish fertilizer soon.

The cold frame cover panels are not on yet, but with frosty weather predicted soon, I will likely put them on next week. (I wonder if I need a fresh layer of plastic on the frame before winter. Looking at the photo, it seems I might.)

dahlia's from my garden

sweet sweet

I dug up a big ol' sweet potater today!

I'm holding off on digging the bed 'til after a frost kills the plants back. But its not like a bed of squash where you know what's growing, what you're waiting for. I've stuck a fork in the ground a couple times in the last month to see if I find anything and both times i found teeny little sweet potatoes. Third time today, and I found a giant!

It looks like a white fleshed sweet potato. Just over a foot long. I planted red, orange and whites sweets last spring.

bok choy varieties

Bok choy, Win-Win Choi

Bok choy, Mei Qing Choi

I have finally found a really great bok choi variety. Win-Win Choi is sooooo good! It looks beautiful in my garden and is fantastic stir-fried with garlic, ginger. One of my favorite vegetables!

I haven't tried my Mei Qing Choi yet. It seems maybe its taking longer to mature and doesn't have the nice white stems. I am looking forward to trying it.

Other varieties I have tried have bolted fast, or have been too cabbagy. I may fill my garden with yummy Win-Win!

watching lettuce grow

Ready for harvest - September 26, 2012

September 7, 2012

August 23, 2012

July 22, 2012

I took a series of photos of one of my lettuce beds. It is planted with Endive Dubuisson and Butterhead Green Ermosa. The bed is full now and we are enjoying them in salads. I pick the biggest or most crowded ones first and let the others grow.

lettuce varieties

I wanted to record photos of the lettuce varieties I am growing this fall. They are a nice mix of colors. All except the Simpson did well with the summer heat. The Simpson bolted and I had to harvest it before the head was full. I think the Skyphos has grown the slowest, maybe because it was under the squash leaves when it was small. I think it may also be the prettiest.

Butterhead Green Ermosa

Butterhead Red Skyphos

Red Summer Crisp Teide and Black Seeded Simpson

Green Summer Crisp Nevada

Can't say any of these are my favorites, like Big Boston or Prizehead or Oaky Red Splash.

i've got mail

There's been a field mouse in my garden mailbox for a couple years now. I looked in today and seems he is gathering extra fluff for the winter.

the meadow

This is the meadow next to our community gardens. Its been overcast and rainy the past couple days. The late fall wildflowers are blooming and the leaves are starting to show a little fall color in places. There's a big tree at the left of the meadow photo that came down in a windstorm last week.

The meadow was mowed about a month ago. It was waist high and just filled with flowers before that. Mostly tansy and milkweed. Some asters, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed and wild garlic. Every year it has a different mix of flowers.

garlic shipment is here

My garlic shipment is here!!! I'm excited to get it in the grown a bit early this year. Maybe this week? (I was too late last year.) I have my potato bed dug and ready to go for the garlic. I'll add a couple inches of compost, turn it under, and then its ready to plant.

e-how asked me to do a couple of videos on planting garlic. I am hoping to do these this week and will post links.

I ordered the garlic variety "Music" from Territorial.

I like to plant a full 12 x 3.5 ft bed (about 80 or so cloves) in my garden each year. This gives me enough to eat all year and plant for the next year. (My harvest this year was poor because I planted late and didn't mulch.) I have 6 big heads saved from my harvest this year (mostly "Duganski", 8 cloves per head). I'll add to it the 8 Music heads I just got (6 cloves per head), plus some sprouted supermarket ones I want to try. Some will go to my parents garden too.

aerial