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Why I Am Peeling Garlic This Year
So just to be clear I am not in jail and I do not have that much free time on a daily basis but I do have a lot of those piddly little garlic cloves because my garlic self seeds all over my garden and sometimes I don’t see it right away until the plants are grown and are ready to pull. So I do that – I pull it. And then in fall and winter I peel as I go – using it up in my kitchen. I love garlic. But when the cloves are small you have to peel two or three to get enough for a recipe.
Back to Reality: Renovating our Front Yard to Remove The Lawn and Add Edibles
So what is your motivation for making changes in the garden? In my yard it all started with Helpful husband. He had better things to do so he stopped mowing the lawn. And when our irrigation system imploded he stopped watering the lawn. Only the weeds were growing.
So with pencil and paper and I did for us what I usually do for others: A front yard redesign starting with removing the lawn and adding more parking for all our toys and vehicles. We … started by widening the right side of the yard, building a small wall to contain the plants, and creating extra parking. Then came the edible and ornamental plants.
Growing Cauliflowers for Success
Like labradoodles (a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle), plants that have been deliberately cross-bred are expensive to buy. And when you buy a cross-bred cauliflower you are probably only buying the seed or potential for a better plant. This is a good thing, though, because you know exactly what you will get with hybrid seed and exactly how the seed will perform in your garden. Cauliflower varieties have known and grown
Grateful For Bugs
I am grateful for all bugs even though many gardeners at large only like good bugs. And these people do everything in their power position to get rid of the bad guys. I had a neighbor once who hired a killer to eliminate all the young ladybugs on her tree because she thought they were pests. And this is not unusual. I encounter bug squeamish-ness among friends and family all the time….
Weeds and Gratitude
If you want to be a money winner at lotto you have to buy tickets. Ok – got it. But if you want to be a winner in the garden all you have to do is weed consistently. Or at least pull out things that are about to bloom and remove them from the property. Do not, I repeat, do not put the blooming weeds in your compost pile. This will just multiply your problem
Next Steps for Gardener’s Growing at Home
Timing/Planning: remember some plants are cool season crops (radish, spinach, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, peas and everything in cabbage family) while other are warm season (Tomatoes, corn, potatoes, cucumber, squash, beans). Cool season crops can start going into the ground shortly both as direct seed and as transplants. I often start peas by early April and Spinach in the fall so it can come back as early as March. Transplant your peas but start others directly in the cold soil. See what works best in your microclimate.
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