Spring Green

With the exception of the garlic box, these beds were planted over three weeks ago and they're all doing quite well. The covers have been on until today's short unveiling. The covers will go back on until the plants are big enough to withstand the bunny onslaught, perhaps in a month or so.

The garlic was planted last november and wintered over nicely. Should be ready to harvest in two or three months.

On Vacation for Three-and-a-Half Months

During the winter months, I replaced gardening and bicycling with hiking in our winter home, Arizona. Here's a link to that blog: Tramping Through Hill and Dale. Check back here in March for any new garden updates.

Berry Long Boxes (Part 2)

After leveling and placing the boxes, I set about constructing the trellis structure from which to hang the canes. These would be constructed of 4"x4" cedar, 3.5 feet tall, and 2.5 feet wide. 

It helps to have a table saw for the dado cuts. I didn't actually use a dado blade as I was too lazy to put it together. However, a single saw blade makes fairly quick work of it anyway.

Cross pieces finished. The dado for the vertical pieces will have to wait until assembly in the yard as I will have to cut the verticals to length beforehand.

After the verticals are buried in the ground, I cut them each to the same height—four feet.

I measured down six inches for the top of the cross pieces...

... then dadoed each vertical using a circular saw.

I then fitted each cross piece before attaching each with two bolts.

Finally, I capped each cane cross with a copper cap. I was so proud of my work until someone (my wife) suggested they looked a lot like Calvary, so I detached each copper cap, re-cut each vertical, and then reattached the caps.

Much less rood.

The final layout looks a lot less like a Roman execution.

All that's left to do is to string the wiring.

Berry Long Boxes (Part 1)

One last piece of garden to terrace in. I had room for three rows of black berries and red raspberries. As with the other spaces, I opted for building cedar boxes to serve as my terraces, in this case three twelve foot by two foot boxes.

I used 2"x6" twelve foot cedar boards for the long pieces. Side boards are two footers.

Corners attached using 2"x4" pieces cut to 5 1/2 inches and screwed in using deck screws.

Lastly, 2"x4" two-foot long cross pieces were screwed in to prevent bowing.

Then, I set about the laborious task of digging out and leveling each box. I was way too busy to photograph the process (actually, I just forgot). Tune in tomorrow for the 4"x4" cross beam construction from which to suspend wires and hold up the canes.

Six Feet Over (Again)

The potato boxes one month on. They've loved the biblical rains we've had of late. The pots have all been filled to the brim with soil. Now we wait for the flowers. Attractive plants, I think. And they'll keep us from starving after the Trump apocalypse in the fall.

Gratuitous picture of Ritchie and Fiona, also one month on.

The red fingerling.

Overall, the garden is doing quite well, except for Bernie, who's been stifled by the DNC virus. 

Pici Keen Spring Garlic

Last night called for a special meal: It was my 31st wedding anniversary, and I was also down to the last of my spring garlic. My favorite way to use spring garlic, also called green garlic, is in a simple dish of pasta with olive oil. This lets the subtle green garlic flavor come through unhindered. Spring garlic is to garlic what scallions are to onions, a milder version of the other. I also used the tops, in a big batch of veggie broth.

I did add a couple of cloves of garlic for a little extra kick.

Sauté the garlic in a copious amount of olive oil. I also add a few red pepper flakes to punch it up.

For the pasta, I used my favorite, (after my home-made variety): Pici, from Siena, Italy (this via Eataly in Chicago). Pici is a thick hand-rolled spaghetti-like pasta, (think bucatini on steroids, only not hollow).

Pici is THICK, and takes a good 20 plus minutes to reach al dente. A minute before that, however, drain the pasta and add it to the garlic and olive oil. Reserve a cup of pasta water to add to the pasta, the secret ingredient to making a velvety smooth sauce.

Sprinkle on a little parm and enjoy.

Six Feet Over

Planted my potato boxes yesterday, as well as the potatoes. Terraced and leveled each box into the hillside. These will remain until the apple trees (next to the white buckets) grow large enough to shade the area. Then, I'll have to find a new location (curbside, perhaps?). 

Each box will hold six 5-gallon pots, or five of the 7-gallon variety.

After I leveled each box, I dug a trough of soil up the middle. It's important to have the drain holes in the bottom of each bucket covered by soil as the roots will eventually find their way out through the holes in search of more nutrients.

I added about four inches of mulch to each pot, then planted three potatoes in each.

The top two boxes were planted with the Andean La Ratte white-skinned fingerling; the bottom will contain a red French fingerling (both from Seed Savers Exchange).