Potato Onion Spacing

Of all the things that have been misplaced, I miss my memory most.  During my six years as an undergraduate student an appointment calendar was never needed.  If an obligation to be in a certain office in ten days at a specified time was told to me, I simply remembered and appeared in the named place on the correct day ten minutes early.   The need to use six years to complete a four year course of study was not due to insufficient intelligence or poor memory but was the result of a lack of focus.  The object of my focus and I will celebrate fifty years of marriage this year.  Looking back, it was time well spent.

This year I could not remember the spacing for the potato onions.  The protective wire cage is inverted  to serve as a marking grid but how many rows and how many plants per row was information that simply could not be retrieved this year.  This post will provide the lost information next year.  A forty inch wide bed contains five rows of seed.  Sixty inches from path to path accepted nine onions.

Multiplier onions is another name for potato onions.  Each onion planted will grow into a clump of approximately six onions.  We can expect to harvest at least two hundred seventy onions.  This will supply next season's seed and satisfy our need for this food for a full year.  A second similar planting was made for the shallots.  We feel that the shallots possess a milder taste and that they are kinder on aging digestive systems.  

My manner of dress requires an explanation.  Recently a passing car began to stop while we were working on the flower bed near the road.  Frightened by my appearance, they sped off.  I am not a cult fanatic to be avoided at all costs.  Decades of working on hands and knees while tending my plants has left me with sun damaged skin.  The white hood and shirt by Solumbra effectively screen out harmful sun light.  I find the clothing preferable to chemical sunscreens.  Still, there is widespread concern about the mental viewpoints of one that would appear outside dressed like that.  Many just drive quickly by.  

The first picture does show several errant holes in the rigidly uniform spacing.  They were made while trying to figure out the correct spacing.  Unused for planting, they were simply brushed closed.   

Onion Planting Begins

Yesterday warmed up beautifully and Ed lost no time in getting onion plants in the ground.It's a satisfying feeling to get started on the planting for a new garden year. Copras and Red Zepplins are under the first two cages. The cages are there because we have problems with something, perhaps crows , pulling the new plants out of the ground. Potato onions and shallots are planted between the cages. The next cage will be Walla Walla, Ringmaster and Mars. Bought in a sampler pack, they will be mixed although Ed tries his best to separate the kinds.

I placed flat stone markers to keep track of where things are planted.I write on both side of the stones with permanent marker. The sun tends to fade the lettering, but the downside remains intact. Every year I plan to mark everything we plant in this way. So far so good.

Today looks like another wonderful day to be out there. Time to go!

We had a fabulous time in the garden. It was warm and the sky was blue with just a few wispy white clouds. Looking up we watched a bald eagle soar on the air currents. His wings held flat, he rode the wind using very slight wing movements to change his direction. We watched for a long time and never saw a single flap. Eventually he became a tiny speck in the distance on the other side of the river valley.What a treat!

Now the clouds have rolled in and the temperature is dropping. Rain is beginning to fall. What a fun day in the garden!

How Do I Love Onions, Let Me Count...

First are chives. I use regular chives for a mild onion flavor and the blossoms in salads . I have circle chives too, but I've never tried eating those. They are just too pretty.

Second are Egyptian walking onions. I use those instead of scallions. Both of these are now out of reach in the frozen garden.

Third are shallots. These have a mild onion flavor too ,and are my choice for winter use where mild uncooked onion flavor is called for. Some of the shallot crop is saved for seed. The seed braids hang in the background. The seed braids have a tag at the bottom that reads SEED. The seed braids are hung as high as possible hopefully beyond each reach of the cook. This has to do with past experience . No need to go there again.

Fourth are potato onions. The braid in the foreground of the photo is potato onions. They are great for cooking. Both shallots and potato onions are bunching onions. You plant one onion and get a bunch. Once purchased the same stock can be carried over from year to year. The saved seed onions and shallots will be planted in the garden very early in the spring.

Some gardeners might stop there, but not me. I said I love onions ! Onion plants get ordered in January. Wait that's NOW! Gotta go!