Garden Update – green onions and other thoughts

in #gardening6 years ago

The garden is doing very well this season with the corn, potatoes and tomatoes doing well. Basil and carrots are growing much better than they usually do. The lettuce is not doing so well though, I think that there was too much fertilizer in the soil and it turned the leaves yellow.

Heres’ a picture of one of the types of bumblebee that likes to visit the garden. This bee wouldn’t even leave the onion flower when the garden was being watered and got a bit soaked:

beeOnOnionFlower.jpg
Wet bumblebee on an onion flower– click for viewing full screen

I like to let some of the plants to go seed because many of the birds and insects like to have these things to eat and it is fun to have stuff come up in the garden on their own. Lots of Swiss chard is coming up all over the garden from some that went to seed prior to last winter. A couple of Swiss chard plants survived all through the winter and could be harvested in a limited amount.

We decided to plant some more green onions because they are very handy for using in lots of different meals. I like to put some fresh green onions from the garden chopped up on top of soups and noodles. The onion flower will take some time before it makes new onions and we’ve eaten many of the onions that survived the winter. Also, if you let the onion flower there is not as much to harvest to eat.

Here’s some onions that were recently purchased that I’m getting ready to plant:

greenOnions.jpg
Green onions from the store – click for viewing full screen

These are in pretty good shape and haven’t been stored in the refrigerator too long. Some of them have had all their roots cut off – these will go back in the fridge to be eaten. You can get a bunch of onion starters at certain stores too but that’s usually more than I need and they seem to not work as well as the larger ones that are sold ready for eating.

I’m not that fond of eating the white part so I usually leave the onion growing in the ground and just cut off some of the green part to eat.

They will die back a bit just after planting but if watered enough when getting started they usually survive and grow really well.

Here’s a recent sunset picture I took when out walking the dog:

sunsetByPond.jpg
Sunset by the pond with cattails – click for viewing full screen

I could almost imagine Pan dancing around by the cattails playing the pan pipe for the ducks. It was a very nice evening with a wonderful temperature.

I went back to the same area just the other day and someone had hacked off many of the branches of the trees and thrown them on the bike path. At first I thought that kids or vandals had done it but the damage was much too extensive for the typical vandal.

Then I noticed that the area had been carpet mowed and many of the cattails were gone, as well as the native flowers, blackberry bushes and other natural trees. It kind of made me sad honestly. Later on in the season this area would attract a wide variety of frogs and insect life. Bunnies and other critters like the native growth as a place to find food and refuge. Dragonflies often flew around the cattails.

I’m not against mowing places and clearing some branches away from a walking path but this seemed to be a bit excessive to me. The way in which the branches were removed was not very gentle to the trees and I think it might leave them prone to getting disease. If I were to trim a tree in my yard, I try to cut the branch in a way that the tree will be able to heal the wound up easier.

I walked along the path and noticed that a narrow strip of cattails had survived the mowing by growing close to the ponds edge, where the mower would have had to upchuck some water to get them.

I suppose I should be happy that they got a lot of ‘work’ done very efficiently and cleared all the brambles away from the path. Although I’m not really happy, I certainly do not bear any ill will towards any of the workers involved or the decision making. To me this is just a product of what we all as a society have decided collectively to do, but it does seem like a lot of effort spent on something that might be better spent on things like a few trash cans around the city to toss out the dog poop in.

Maybe I’m just an odd duck but I kind of like paths where I have to dodge a few brambles to a limited degree. It kind of keeps you more aware if there a few things like that and you can’t just walk along watching cat videos on your phone. (Nothing wrong with cat videos, but there is a time and place for everything)

Besides, I like to go back in the fall and harvest many of the blackberries and other native berries. It used to be a really good area for that but they keep clearing more and more of it out and carpet mowing what used to be a more natural area.

As a child I loved playing and walking to many more natural areas nearby, and there was an empty lot right next to my house that make a great play area. I guess I was hopeful that this area near the walking path would stay more natural but a large part of it is planned for development.

I like gardening and I think the natural world likes gardening. I think the best kind of gardening works in harmony with things. I personally think that everything enjoys living and has some awareness at some level. The natural habitat is just as important if not more so than the parking lot or a walking path through a city imho.


Thanks for reading! I always value your support and comments. The pictures were taken by me with my Galaxy S9+ with some modifications done in the digital darkroom on the first one by Google Photos.

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Excellent photos and pretty stones collection as well as unique bee types. I really like all the pictures from this post. Thanks, friend...

Thanks friend, I'm glad you liked them. It is a lot of fun to share photography and stories.

ok... you are welcome.

That is an amazing shot of the bee! I really do like your Galaxy S9+ but I have made a promise to let my Galaxy 7 die before I upgrade. Unless it won't die. Then I will have to see.

I think progress is healthy, but, only to a certain extent is it really progress. Then, it becomes a problem. I have National Land almost surrounding me, so it will never (never say never!) be built on. That is a relief. However, the building of new houses just won't stop! Bigger houses with no land. It is starting to look like a city in some places.

I respect the judgment involved when they are clearing the woods, but, when they are taking away habitats? Hmmmm. I had a little bunny on my front porch this morning and I know that a lot of people dislike them because they eat flowers, but, I can assure you that they were probably here before we were. We took over their habitat.

Oh, I could go on and on. I like a garden and we have the most delicious raspberries coming up right now. And tomatoes and carrots and - speaking of which, you lettuce has probably had too much water. But it grows so quickly, you will have a chance to plant more. I do the same thing with the onions and celery. Just stick it in the ground! It grows! I cut it down and stick it right in!

Well, I am off to bed as morning comes early. I bid you a good night and a wonderful Thursday!

Oh, I think you could be right about too much water on the lettuce. It was planted at the end of the rainy season, (well its still raining, albeit not as much) and the soil was very mushy and wet. You couldn't quite support a flame from the methane bubbling up out of the watering tube but you know how it goes... lol.

Because it takes so little effort and few days, you will have some great lettuce soon!

Thank you, and a wonderful Thursday to you as well! Progress really is a tough one. In some ways it would be much better if we all lived in large cities with vertical farming integrated into the city and left large areas of the planet unfenced, undeveloped and reforested.

On the flip side it seems like there are people who feel like we should all be living in smaller hamlets that basically provide everything through sustainable farming.

It is tough to see how solutions will happen, and it does feel like we use a lot of effort doing things of marginal utility while ignoring larger problems. The loss of bunny habitat seems trivial to some people, yet the same forces seem instrumental in the loss of habitat for our favorite species, 'humans' imho.

Absolutely!! And my bunny would agree with you! ;)

I love when you post and give me alternative methods to think about. Thank you!

Living garden, like a secret garden. Full of magic, the only thing I wish I could hear and smell the atmosphere ;)

Maybe some day computer technology will be able to capture things to that level. (I'm thinking about recording brain waves and playing them back for others to experience) Perhaps one day we can hear and smell the atmosphere and directly experience in our minds the experiences of others.

Aww he is soo cute wet LOL!

I cannot understand people. Some folks would be happy if we paved every inch of our planet! My neighbor was hinting around the other day trying to allow their hired hand to "trim" MY tree by the lake. That tree that "my" bird lives in. How can people hate on trees?!?

PS I had this typed mostly when I voted last night and I fell asleep at the keyboard and woke up to the half typed comment LOL!

Falling asleep at the keyboard really had me laughing. It is embarrassing when it happens at work and you wake up the 'jkl' embossed on your forehead to the sound of ding, ding, ding,... from the computer, jk. LOL.

I really like gardening, maybe in your area now again developing all the plants now, and maybe also the right time now for gardening. The people in my area can not get away from the leek. There are many foods cooked with scallions, and the leeks you share look very fresh, image
thank you friend have shared.

I have some tomatoes I plant in small flowering pots, and a small garden of cayenne pepper, and there is a small insect that is hatching a honey of cayenne pepper image


image

Nice photos. I think gardening is so much fun and provides lots of good stuff. It is nice to have the time to do it when the weather is good and you feel like doing it.

it's true my friend, I always set aside my time in the morning and in the afternoon for gardening, before I do other activities

Wow excellent photography and it is really look.
Thanks @lightsplasher
Have a great day

Wow excellent post my dear @lightsplasher I waiting for your post after a long time you given a amazing post i miss your valuable upvote in 2month please remember me a little bit.........?

the most important thing I wish you a successful greeting me this is the one I am waiting for the latest news about gardening siblings. I think they grow well in what season garden because of winter, brothers are very brave to take a photo of the bee that is on the cherry onion flowers carefully in the bee sting, maybe the bee is just taking the rest of the water that live in the onion bawang.tapi i really like all the phothography that looks very clear I really like his brother, oh yes why some of the onions that have been removed from the ground look very fresh yes like the picture below, thank for sharing brother @lightsplasher. Seperti gambar di bawah ini

Outstanding bumblebee image on the flower. Another background photo capture so impressive to see @lightsplasher. Well description there. Good weather condition seems.

Photography is very nice @lightsplasher I really like it, your post is very I wait for you my fans,

Above does this animal stand

beeOnOnionFlower.jpg

My photography @lightsplasher

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