🏠 In and Around our Garden - June 2023

I still can't grow onions. Don't till, but do this! Tasty scapes.

🧅 Onions

I have never had much success growing onions, so when I received some pictures from a new gardener, Abigail, who lives in North Alabama, I had mixed feelings. You see, my onions are not bulbing... Well, I thought they were, but then I saw Abigail's, and hers are bulbing and look really good. On the one hand, I am encouraged and glad that she is having success, and on the other hand, I’m discouraged because, yet again, my onions aren’t bulbing and aren’t growing well.

After letting her know I wasn't happy about her onions, we compared notes to see what the differences were. We got our bulbs at the same spot, but I planted mine in early November and she planted hers the last weekend of February. I was under the impression that either time would work, but I will certainly be running a trial this next fall/spring season.

The other variables include soil and sun. I’m sure her garden gets more sun than I do, and that might be the problem. I also wonder if my penchant for packing in plants and my lack of an intentional fertilization plan could be catching up with me. I’m just not sure. I’ll keep you updated on my onions throughout the next few growing seasons.

This is what an onion bed is suppose to look like!

This is what an onion harvest is suppose to look like. Good Job Abigail!

My onions are riding the struggle bus…

One of the better looking ones.

If you have had success with onions and/or have thoughts on why mine aren’t bulbing comment below!

🐛 Spinosad Soap

Some critter was eating my peppers and okra. So, for the first time this year, I pulled out the spinosad soap. I use it very sparingly, but when I do, it gets the job done. It's also nice that it is approved for use by organic certified farmers. If you are looking for a good organic pest control that won't hurt your pollinators, give spinosad soap a try. I use it to repel all kinds of critters, including pill bugs, aphids, and even powdery mildew if it pops up in the garden.

What do you use for help with controlling pests?

🧹 Cleaning Up the Greens from Spring

Morgan planted a few rows of arugula, mustards, and lettuces this past spring. They did great for a few months, but once the temperatures started to warm up towards the end of May, they started to bolt (flower). When that happens, their flavor and texture really take a hit, and it means it's time to remove them. To do this, I just used some loppers to cut the greens down to the ground and then covered the cut greens with mulch.

I’m an avid no-till gardener and like to disturb the soil as little as possible. By leaving the green's roots in the ground undisturbed, they will rot away in place, feeding the soil biology and helping with aeration and water absorption. The residue left on top of the soil will also slowly break down and recycle the carbon and other nutrients currently locked up in the leaves back into the soil.

Arugula and mustards bolting and going to seed. Definitely time to move on from these greens.

These are the loppers I used to cut it all down.

Next I covered with some leaves. In a week or so I could plant transplants right into this.

🙅‍♂️ Don’t Till - But DO do this!

If you are like me and do not till or turn the soil in your garden, there are a couple of key activities that you must do to ensure that your garden soil stays loose, friable, and healthy. These include mulching heavily and using a garden fork to aerate your soil. In my small garden, I am constantly stepping on the soil, and the heavy mulch provides a cushion from my weight. It also provides protection for the many insects and worms that are constantly eating the mulch and the decaying matter rthat rests on the soil. This naturally produces waste that is redeposited on and in the soil, further feeding the microbiology in the soil, which in turn feeds the plants. The difference between the soil in my garden that is covered with mulched leaves and bare soil is obvious at first sight. One is dry, crusted, and worn, while the other is damp, soft, and alive.

If you think about a forest floor or a meadow floor, there is rarely any exposed ground. It is always covered with living and/or dead plant material. The same should apply to our gardens, especially since most of our garden plants are domesticated flora from meadows and forests around the world.

The other activity I mentioned is aerating your soil. To do this, you will need a garden fork. You will npierce the soil and push back on the top of the handle of the fork. The top of the soil behind the fork becomes the fulcrum, and you slowly raise the soil in front of the fork. You don't want to flip the soil or totally dislodge it. I usually raise it 4 to 6 inches and then lay it back down. Sometimes, if the raised soil doesn't sit back down completely, I will lightly tamp it down with my feet. The idea here is to break up any compaction without inverting the soil. This allows airflow and better water penetration without decimating the soil biology, bringing weed seeds to the surface, or creating a hardpan (of which tilling does all three).

I'm an avid no-till gardener, but unless you aerate and mulch heavily, results will be mixed at best.

An example of how I areate my garden without to much soil disturbance. At this point I would pull the fork out and lightly tamp down the soil to make it even with the surrounding ground.

🌿 Pinching Herbs

It was just a few years ago that I learned to "pinch" herbs without fully cutting the stem. By leaving the main stem intact but pinched, it still signals to the plant to bush out while allowing it to continue growing along the central stem as well. In theory, this produces more vigorous and bushy plants.

Right in the middle of the picture you will see the scarring from where I pinched this basil plant about a week or so earlier. I broke just enough of the tissues in the stem for the plant to signal lateral buds to grow and in turn “bush” out.

Here is that same plant from the top. Nice and bushy :) with its central stem still growing!

🧄 Garlic Scapes

June is usually the time of the year to harvest garlic, but before then, you get another harvest - Garlic Scapes. These are the long, curly shoots that emerge from the tops of garlic plants and eventually form into flower buds. They are very tasty and easy to cook with. Simply cut them at the base, cut them into 1-inch pieces, add some butter to a pan, and sauté them up. They are delicious. They can also be added to stews or soups, made into sauces like pesto, or pickled in vinegar and sugar for a nice refreshing summer treat.

See the scape?

Some basil and some scapes.

Some shots from around the home and garden