On Vacations and Onions

Last week, I came back from our ocean vacation, the one during which I  tried not to think about the garden for a week. This was preceded by some fast and furious hours hoeing, weeding, mulching, watering and generally preparing all plants for a week of neglect. Everyone survived, tomatoes are in high production mode, spitting out ripe orbs faster than I can use them; and the peppers and eggp [...]

A Time of Acceptance

I love garlic planting time.  You can really learn a lot about your soil when it is fall and the garden has spent a summer being tended (or not).  This is the second burst of good intentions, the first one being the entire month of May when ideas run ecstatically through the garden plan .  Garden cleanup is a confessional time in the gardening calendar. It is a time to look at mistakes, assess [...]

Garlic Planting Time is Coming

Garlic bulbs are like other bulbs that we plant in the fall for harvest the following year. There are two main categories of garlic varieties: stiff neck and soft neck. Soft neck varieties are the ones grown for making decorative braids. Stiff neck varieties are a little easier to grow and have the added benefit of shoots or "scapes" which is explained in further detail below. The [...]