Salty Lemons

May 26, 2011

Plot95 progress

At the end of last season, The Swede and I decided that we should lift up the raised beds, turn everything under (except for some herbs, Swiss chard, and of the course the garlic we planted) and start fresh for Season 2011. At the beginning of this season, I regretted that decision. The weather has not been cooperative this spring, and it has repeatedly delayed the making of the new beds, transplanting seedlings, and sowing seeds.

I finally managed to sow some romaine, radish, carrot, pea, endive, arugula, and mesclun seeds. While most of the beds remained brown with nothing green in them, the arugula and mesclun were the first to emerge with bursts of green and touches of red.

The Swede also carved out a new area in our plot for our garden bench. He spread the displaced soil into the pathway, and the birds immediately flocked to look for earthworms and grubs. They were not shy about it, they got right up in there.

I also harvested more of the young softneck garlic; they turned out to be not-so-young anymore. They were extremely hard to dig up, so I ended up accidentally troweling into their bulbs. I had not expected the bulbs to form so quickly. It has only been about two weeks since the last harvest, and they have begun to bulge. The flavor has also changed. Still great, but not as pungent. The stalks have already started to become wooden. The color of the bulbs has intensified and is turning a beautiful red color.

I am so in love with growing garlic. Tomatoes are the obvious choice for eliciting excitement in the garden, but garlic is quickly becoming a strong contender.

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