March is roaring like a lion!

Last week the wind and rain we were expecting turned out to be a snow storm. The wind knocked down a section of fence in our yard, snapping the post at the ground level! By the next afternoon, it was as if it had never snowed! March roared in like the proverbial lion!

Then yesterday, another nor'easter blew in. They said rain for our area and we ended up with 4 inches of wet snow!

I went out to snap a photo of the garden in the snow and the dogs followed me. They are not allowed in the garden during growing season, but they really enjoyed their chance to run around. Teagan flew through the paths and Chase - well, chased.

In that bed to the left you can see my garlic poking through the snow. It was planted in the fall. There's also turnips coming up in another snow covered bed. Nothing the romping dogs could destroy with the snow cover.

Today the sun is shining and the weather is warming up. I had brushed the snow off the cold frame last night, but it had to be vented today, so that was my only outdoor garden chore.

 I use scraps of leftover lumber for venting.  I lay them flat for temperatures in the thirties and stand them up for the forties and if the temperature goes into the fifties the glass comes all the way up. Heat builds up in this little cold frame!

This is a peek in one side of the cold frame. There's some kale and spinach (which we've been eating) and all those baby seedlings are Arugula.

It's 8 weeks until the last frost! (Hear that, snow??) It's time to sow a few things in the grow room. Today I planted 12 Aster Opus, 6 Pink Catmint and 4 Cayenne Peppers, all from Pinetree Seeds.

I only need 2 Cayenne Peppers, but I have someone to take the extras if they all succeed.

The Catmint will form a nice mounded plant with pink flowers. It's a perennial. It will be outside the garden in our flower beds. I think it will attract pollinators and while it's a mint, it will not get out of control. The cats will enjoy it too!

Pink Catmint - Photo from Pinetree Seeds

Aster Opus - Photo from Pinetree Seeds

The  Aster Opus is also for our flower bed. I think it is so pretty!   It is an annual Aster. I am going to plant it in front of the Purple Millet I am hoping to grow. The Aster Opus is supposed to form bushy 2 1/2 foot plants with lots of stems of white flowers with a faint pint tip.  I am envisioning a hedge of them. I think it will be stunning!

While I was working in the grow room, I noticed that all the onions in the front of the tray were shorter than those in the back.

Then I noticed that there were onions out of the tray and realized that the cats were chewing on the onions!

I have to keep the door to the grow room open, because at the moment there is no heat in that room (we are remodeling our bathroom and all the heaters in the front of the house were on the same breaker! ) I over planted onions anyway, so I will be fine. I just didn't expect that!

Also in the grow room, I am chitting my potatoes. These are Red Norland and Russet that I bought locally. I have more potatoes coming from a seed company soon.

Lastly, I thought I'd give you a peek at the free package of Mesclun I received from Botanical Interests. I planted them in a tray, hoping to harvest a early salad or two from inside the house. If this works, I may plant salads all through the winter! 💚

That's all that is happening this week. Next week I will be planting my peppers! (Indoors, of course. )
Let me know what you are doing in your gardens!

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV)

Garlic Harvest

I was looking at my garlic yesterday and thought it looked like it might be time to harvest it. I thought it was supposed to be in early July, but the signs were there.

A quick check on the internet confirmed my suspicion.

1/3 of plant dying off, two leaves around the bottom dead. I dug down and the bulb was large and cloved.

So I grabbed that pitch fork I had bought at the yard sale and carefully dug up the garlic.

As you may recall, I planted a grocery store organic garlic bulb. I planted the big and small cloves. The big cloves made big bulbs and the small cloves made small cloves. This fall I will only plant the big cloves.

I brushed the dirt off the garlic,  brought it into the house, laid a screen across the table on the backs of two chairs, placed the garlic with the stems and roots on the screen and will let it dry for 3-4 weeks to cure. I accidentally stabbed a bulb with the fork and I cooked that with our vegetables this evening for dinner. It had a pleasant mild garlic flavor, but did not taste like actual garlic. I believe it will get a stronger flavor as it cures.

I am so excited about my first ever garlic harvest! When it is dried I will try my hand at braiding it. Fun!