The storms have passed without having dropped any trees across the fences. There will be no need for me to track down and coax back wayward cattle. Two weeks ago I had one that took a liking to the neighbors pasture and escaped twice. Both times it took about two hours of running up and down hillsides until I could guide her back into a section of fencing I had removed to allow her back in. I finally found the spot that she had been using to slip through (although I couldn’t believe she would/could get through at that spot) and reinforced it with additional wire. She has stayed put.
Here is one of life’s simple truths: It’s easier to keep cows up than it is to put cows up.
I did want to get carrot and onions planted this week, but it’s going to be another day or two after yesterdays rain before the ground can be worked.
For the previous three years I’ve planted onions without a the slightest success. Undaunted (actually, I had completely given up) I happened across an article that explained the difference between ‘short’, ‘intermediate’, and ‘long’ day onions. Apparently, you have to match the onion variety day length to the area of the country where it is being grown.
Who knew?
Armed with this new info, I decided that I’d grow 4 varieties of bubling onion and one variety of bunching onion this year. Here is what I’ve seeded:
Flat of Italy (Intermediate) : Sweet, flat cipollini used in Italy for eating and cooking. It is said to be a beautiful, red “cipollini” type, flat gourmet onion from Italy. Bright red in color and very flat. A very old Italian variety that was mentioned by Vilmorin in 1885. 80 days to maturity.
Texas Early Grano 502 PRR (Intermediate): A vedalia type onion with excellent eating quality. The gloves are uniform, straw colored skin with a whit flesh. Good flavored with mild to medium pungent taste. Released by Texas Agricultural Experimental Station in 1944. 180 days to harvest.
Red Burgundy (Short): Smooth, glossy skin that is purplish-red. Flesh is white with pink shading near the skin. 95 Days to harvest.
Australian Brown (Intermediate): A 19th Century variety by Q Atlee Burpee. Extra fine, large, yellow-brown bulbs with suburb flavor. 100 days to harvest.
For a bunching onion I’m putting in ‘Heshiko Japanese Bunching’ It is said to be a tender 12-14 inch variety that is flavorful, mild not overly pungent and easy to grow. 60 days to harvest.
I’ve got 40 seedlings of each variety that are ready to transplant. I’ll place them on the outside portion of the raised beds. I’ve ‘planted’ old decomposing firewood in the bottom outside of 4 the 12 food beds and filled over the top of them with 6 inches of soil. I’ve read that the decomposing wood establishes a great ecosystem for all things beneficial in a garden so thought I’d give it a shot.
Within the centers of the beds where the onions are going Ill be planting carrots in three of them and leeks in the last two.
Hope all of you were able to pass through the storms with minimal discomfort.