Monday, February 21, 2011

What's up Here at Home


The days are slipping by..closer and closer to March, when the majority of our edible garden seeds will begin their lives in moist warm soil. Leeks, however, should be started now....thanks Owen for the advice! Speaking of advice though, I must say bloggers, you've let me down. When I showed off my "magnificent leeks" in an earlier post, absolutely no one mentioned there was very little white on the stalks. (You are all too kind, this I know) In fact, I wondered about directions in cookbooks warning...YOU MUST wash leeks very carefully! Gee...mine were always so clean...and now I know why))). This is what I recently learned.

"Leeks should be transplanted into a trench about six inches deep that has about an inch of compost or well rotten manure at the bottom." Keep the babies snipped to about four inches till ready to transplant. "Around the last frost date, plant the seedlings up to their mid points at the bottom of the trench, about four inches apart". (That doesn't seem far enough apart to me though but I'm dreaming of GIANT leeks)))) "As they grow, gradually fill in the trenches to blanch as much of the leek as possible. Once the trench is filled in, then mulch well or hill up." Apparently, leeks hate weeds and dry soil, "so water during dry spells and before hilling up. They can be harvested early, up to 100-120 days from when they were transplanted." This information was gleaned from the pages of Harrowsmith Magazine. Well, I'm game for this...anything for nice long white leeks which are more usable.

So what else is up...just after Christmas the local nursery folks offered us a bunch of yellow stem dogwood branches; it was year end and clear out. With little hope, I kept them trimmed and in water. Now they're sprouting roots and blooming. How's that for winter miracles.....pretty awesome I would say. Thanks Ken.


The local grocery was selling primroses..almost dead..honestly, why do they do that. Is it necessary to bring in plants to sell and just ignore them and let them suffer so? Today, they are shining back at me, their dear pink faces glowing in the late winter sun through the front window. How can a primrose not promise spring!


We did sow a packet of  mache in the raised bed one of the last mild afternoons. Don't think it will do any harm..and well, if they germinate...it's all good. There are still greens coming out of the Red Shed, growing under lights with minimal warmth, except on clear sunny days when it gets pretty steamy in there. A perfect place to sit and dream about summer.......


............the potting soil fragrant, lady bugs dancing....sigh...only four weeks till spring!

11 comments:

  1. '...the potting soil fragrant, lady bugs dancing.'

    Roll on summer.

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  2. omigod I hafta get going...
    these all look so gorgeous..
    mache. hmmmm....

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  3. Thanks for all the info on leeks- I am planning to grow them this year for the first time.Do you grow asparagus-I would like to try them also. Just wondering if you have heaters in your shed besides lights?

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  4. I love primroses, and it is so sad that the greenhouses just let them go. We had a "plant bomber" here at work. Showed up one Monday morning and someone had placed 5 or so primrose plants around the office. I wonder if they took pity on some sad looking ones.

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  5. I feel closer to spring just looking at all of the life you are nurturing in this post. I imagine the fragrance on those sunny days must be lovely in your steamy greenhouse 'shed'. Especially after watering. ;>)

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  6. Mark...roll on summer!! Agreed! Bet D agrees also.

    Jan...best get a few things started soon..March is quickly upon us..four weeks EEEK..till spring.

    Garden Girl..always inspiring. Watch this space for the Asparagus blog post))))..such great memories you brought to us with your question. Yes, there is a heater in the shed/summerhouse. We keep it very low but if I am going out there to work or paint, we turn it up if the sun isn't blasting in))).

    Potted Farm...Your plant bomber was an angel)). Do you know, they say that those grocery store primroses won't survive in the garden when spring comes..but have had one hundred percent survival so do plant out when yours stop blooming...

    Carol, I so much love your blog and your bird photos and the bounty of your garden. Thank you so much for commenting on my blog...yes, the shed gets kinda steamy..but oh, so lovely.

    Thanks for all the kind comments...spring is just around the corner...

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  7. Don't think I can knit a primrose,Brenda so tomorrow I'm putting the knitting aside and I am off to search out primulas.I always get a couple this time of year. I just needed you to remind me.
    They do survive and prosper if planted in the garden come spring. Just remember to divided them every so often, after blooming, to keep them healthy and happy.
    Donna

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  8. I don't think I can knit a primula, Brenda. So I am packing up the knitting needles and I'm off tomorrow in search of primulas. I always buy a couple this time of year I just needed reminding. Thanks for the nudge.
    As you said they do well planted out in the spring. Just remember to divide them, after blooming, every couple of years.
    Donna

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  9. The plants in your shed are looking very green and spring-like. I haven't bought a primrose yet, but must do so. Their bright happy colors are such a pick-me-up on a cold winter's day.

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  10. oh I do like that Harrowsmith magazine, such a good read. only 4 weeks until spring. Do you promise? Because right now I'm looking at what appears to be another snow storm on the way and some days I think it'll be years before I see anything other than white again.

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  11. Hi GardeningBren. I'm a bit mistyfied by your leek entries. Musselburgh is usually a table leek not a show one I've never heard of 'giant' Musselburgh before. Yes you need to wash leeks carefully before cooking - because all that mounding up you describe lands earth between the sheaths. I prefer to use a dibber to make a hole to the right depth and so avoid earthing up. I did a post on it a year or two ago:

    http://malsallotment.blogspot.com/2009/06/leeks.html

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