Beets, onions and potatoes

Spring is, more or less, in the air. Although I see a few flakes swirling in the wind as I type this. And the daffodils and other bulbs are up and starting to put on a show.

The beet seeds we put in are also starting to germinate, which is exciting--we may get two crops off this year! I have been watering on warm days to keep the beds moist. We also planted a bunch more kale and chard over the week in the beds behind the garage. The old guy who steals from the alley beds is welcomed to all the swiss chard he can stomach!

The yellow storage onions (below) are also poking up in the back yard. They are not as far along as the garlic in the front (which is four or more inches high).

I was in the basement and noticed the seed potatoes were also getting pretty leggy. so we went out tonight and put 43 in the ground. There was a mixture of caribe blue, Russian blue, Pontiac red, Yukon gold, russet and a few yellow banana potatoes. The latter wouldn't have been my choice (lots of handling to process because they are so small and modest production) but I sent Jess back in for an extra dozen or so and that is what she selected.

Some of the legs are quite colourful. Above is a caribe blue. The overcast skies dimmed the colour some but they are quite luminescent. I also decided we're going to try gardening against the north side of the house. It is dark there, but there is some direct sun in the morning and evening. And it gets a heck of a bounce off the neighbour's house all day long. If it is a bust no great loss--the seed was excess anyhow. And it will give me a reason to go there and weed more.

Out back the oregano is starting to grow. And I'm undertaking a bit of a recover project (battle crab grass and chives ("chives! why did it have to be chives?")) to extend one of the beds. I need to move some thyme into the front. And the city crews were through to prep for new sod on the boulevard (yay!).