Linda Gilkeson
News Posts
Linda's list for Sept. 5: Ripen tomatoes, pinch Brussels sprouts, winter squash, pest questions
Linda's List for August 11: Last Sowing for Winter, Summer Fruit Tree Pruning
Linda's List July 14: Wasps, Bees, Winter Crop Planting Continues
Linda's List for June 28: Carrot Day is here; more winter crops to sow; mulches
Linda's List for June 15: Garlic, what to plant now, weeding tips
Linda's List for May 27: Sowing winter crops, winter kill redux, irrigation
Linda's list for May 8: Warm week warning
What to Plant Now, Soil Amendments
The cold nights over the last month certainly slowed down the arrival of planting weather, but it is time to get onion sets, shallots, onion and leek seedlings into the garden if you haven’t already done so. To grow good-sized onions, they need to be planted as early as possible to have time to develop a good root system before the long days/short nights in June stimulate the plants to make bulbs. If planted too late (after mid-May) onions often don’t make bulbs at all. Which reminds me, if you want to try growing your own onion sets, sow seeds of a good storage variety the first week of May, directly in the garden. Plant densely (3-5 seeds per square inch) and don’t amend the soil with compost or fertilizer before planting because you want to these onions to stay as small as possible. As long as they are sown before mid-May they produce tiny bulbs that will be cured and stored same way as onions for eating. You should be able to harvest over a hund…