Rain was forecast yesterday and once it sets it, it tends to linger for hours or even days, so I took the opportunity of a relatively dry morning to plant some more onions and garlic. I normally have them all planted by now, but life has been pretty hectic this year. It's fine though as here, in the UK, the latest they ideally need to be in the ground is in December, so we're all good.
The bulbs and sets I put in last week are peeking through now as it's been relatively mild for November. It's always nice to see that they're working and will get a bit of growth on them before the real cold (and perhaps even snow) descends. The Japanese Onions will be in the ground until harvesting time, next July, and the Garlic (allium sativum casablanca), should be ready in June.
JAPANESE ONION
GARLIC (allium sativum casablanca)
I also managed to dig a new bed to accommodate Broad Beans (Aquadulce Claudia, a reliable overwintering variety). Broad beans need to be sown now for overwintering and will be harvested next June onwards, so it's important to choose a spot that won't be needed for anything else, as they're going to be in for a long time!
BROAD BEANS (AQUADULCE CLAUDIA)
As I dug out the long grass, this little fella hopped out in front of me so I set him aside for safety. I'm not sure if he is a grasshopper or a cricket, perhaps someone in the know can enlighten me?
He sat there for some time, watching me with those little bright eyes, and because I am somewhat slightly bonkers, I named him Fred and we had a one-sided chat about life, the universe, and everything until he apparently got bored and hopped off to do something else with his time.
MY MATE, FRED
Thanks for reading, and happy growing, folks.
It's interesting that you can plant your onions this late in the year in the UK.
I think Fred might be a cricket, and this one looks pretty young, or else it recently shed it's old shell. It doesn't seem to have wings yet.
I know, it doesn't feel quite right to me, sowing and planting at this time of year when everything else is dying off, but I've been doing it for a few years now and it always works. They don't even need any protection. It's nice to keep the beds productive during the winter months too, instead of having them lay empty, and definitely gives me a head start in the spring.
Thanks, I just looked up crickets, and you might well be right about Fred being a young 'un. His eyes were so bright, and yep, no wings.
I've never grown garlic, but I've always heard that it should be planted in the fall, so it makes sense to plant it this time of year.
You're also okay to plant garlic in the spring but as the onions, they're starting from scratch. Overwintering just gives a little head start on growth.