Our Very First 2013 Tomato and Our Onion Harvest

It was a great day yesterday when we harvested our very first ripe tomato along with a total of 106 lovely onions.

The One Dollar Onion

We picked up two large onions at the grocery story yesterday.  They cost $1.50 per pound.  Just one onion cost us $1.00. 

There are 112 onions growing in my garden.  Assuming they grow well and form nice large bulbs, there is a potential $112 worth of onions growing in our garden. 

While there are many benefits to growing your own food (maybe I'll list them in a future blog), this little monetary perk keeps me on track and helps motivate me to rise while it is still cool outside to water and weed the little darlings. 

Speaking of weeds, I spy a few in the picture that need to be pulled.  I'll put that on tomorrow morning's to-do list.

Dogwoods, devilish pea-stealing thieves, potatoes, and weeds...a garden update

Brocoli & Lettuce Seedlings
now in the coldframes

Walked out to garden yesterday morning and lo and behold, some evil creature (rabbit, deer, vole, troll,  garden gnome?) had consumed 95% of my pea seedlings.  Sadly we will harvest no peas from the garden this year.  However, having no time to mourn, we moved the cold frames to this bed and planted planted out our tiny brocoli and lettuce seedlings just in time for a major thunder storm.  They were snug and cozy while the storm raged about them.   Hopefully they will not suffer the same terrible fate as our lovely little pea plants. 

Before the storm hit, we were working like crazy to prepare more planting beds and did manage to get a nice bed created for the five yellow raspberry plants we received from Norse Farms in the mail two days ago.  I hope they flourish in their lovely new space.

Potatoes poking through the soil

More good news.  The potatoes are up and the onions we planted seem to be thriving.  We did lose about ten of the yellow onions; however, all the purple onions seem to be growing well.  The potato, strawberry, and onion/herb beds were all weeded.

There is much, much more to do.  But the garden looks happy after its manicure.







I saved the best for last...check out the Dogwood - now in full bloom.

Stay tuned, the Iris and Viburnums and roses will bloom next.

Planting Update

One hundred forty-seven onion plants and fifty strawberry plants have been planted.  Light rain is forcast for this Easter afternoon - perfect for the new plants.

At this point, all the existing garden beds are full.  Next we start on tilling, amending and building more beds.  I'm actually very grateful for the furloughs...my family is working hard together to accomplish this goal...very satisfying.