The Modern Victory Garden

Goodness it got warm in a hurry today!   I had several things to get done in the garden so I got an early start to avoid working during the hottest part of the day.   In large part, I spent most of my time watering beds and containers, but worked in other garden tasks between watering sections - to break up the workload and keep it less repetitive.                       

I moved two of the wire compost bins next to two other full bins I have currently going.   These two bins will be the next ones to be filled up.   The finished pile that was in one of these relocated bins, is now just heaped and  easily accessible for usage.   Indeed, I used a fairly good amount of it already today - preparing the garden bed that had previously held the pea patch for planting up.   I added a generous layer of finished compost from the heap and broadcasted some general-purpose organic fertilizer over the bed.   This was then aerated and lightly cultivated.   Into this prepped bed I planted some hardened off fall cole crop transplants - 24 broccoli ("Umpqua"), 12 kolhrabi ("Koliribi"), and 12 cabbages ("Beira Tronchuda").   Granted, these plants don't look like much at this point, but they will soon fill this bed and should provide a good fall/winter harvest crop.         

I noted yesterday that the regular garlic and the multiplier onions were ready to be pulled and cured.   I went ahead and harvested both of these crops today.            

The multiplier onions are not big but they provide a nice spring crop of green onions that bridge the last of the prior year onions in storage and the arrival of the new season onion crop.   Each bulb that is planted in the late fall goes on to produce a cluster of onion bulbs.                  

After I took this picture I laid them out in our covered breezeway between the house and the garage to dry and cure.   The breezeway is a good place for this because it has excellent air circulation and is covered so the bulbs will not get wet if a rainstorm occurs.    I am waiting to weigh this harvest until the tops are dried down and removed.                             

I picked strawberries, snap peas, and some zucchini today too.   All of these crops are each producing a regular almost daily harvest.   The strawberries have been particularly good this year and are still loaded with immature fruit and flowers - promising a reasonably long harvest period too.    Each day I get one or two really huge strawberries, plus a large collection of medium and smaller ones.   Just to give you an idea of how big these are, I took this picture holding one in my hand this morning.   They are red throughout and very sweet.                 

I ate this almost immediately after taking the picture!   Could not resist the temptation of such a pretty piece of fruit.                      

Have you been working in your gardens today too?