Seedlings, Cuttings, Kiwi and Caged Onions

Despite the cool wet weather I have managed to work the soil in the vegetable garden, planted several rows of kale and a few hills of cucumbers.  I spent Saturday morning re-potting tomato seedlings into four inch pots.  Their next move will be when I give them away to all the neighbors, a tradition that I started years ago.



From two single trays of each variety I now have two full trays of each.
 

A few days ago an employee from work asked if it was possible for her to take cuttings of an old climbing rose she has admired in her small town.  She said it was going to be removed by the new homeowner who has plans of ripping it out to make room for a new landscape.  I started going over the process with her and could soon tell that I was talking to a wall, so I offered to take the cuttings from her and start them in my greenhouse.  She was understandably delighted and I of course will keep one of the cuttings for my collection.


Mystery rose cuttings

My garlic are doing very nicely and I planted four giant garlic for roasting as well.

The scape's are starting to form and as soon as they start to curl I will be removing them and trying them out in this Garlic Scape Pesto recipe I found.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1/4 lb. garlic scape's (12 scape's)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup olive oil (divided)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup fresh basil

     Wash scape's and remove brown tips, cut into two inch pieces. Place scape's and half the olive oil in a food processor. Blend until chopped into small pieces. Place Parmesan, nuts, lemon juice, basil, remaining olive oil and sea salt in processor and blend until desired consistency.


Three years ago I purchased this smooth skin Kiwi, Actinidia arguta 'Issai'.  It is a self fruiting hardy kiwi that is not as invasive as the regular kiwi's.  Being smooth skinned the fruit is eaten whole, no need to skin them first.

 

The deciduous leaves are a third the size of regular Kiwi

If that is a flower bud then I should see fruit this year

The now vacant chicken yard has been a subject of thought, at first I thought it would make a nice shade house for transitioning seedlings from the greenhouse to the garden.  My sister offered me a very large water storage tank so I thought what a great place to hide it from view.  So many options that it began to muttle my brain so I just planted onion sets instead, give myself a few months to think about a permanent use.

If you click on the photo the scrawny onion sets are more visible.  Last year I planted them in rows in the garden and the crows pulled them all up twice before giving up on the game.  So unless they can unlock the gate my onions should be safe.

With such a mild winter the Koi have been actively feeding since the first of March and my giant Gunera plant has been growing bigger by the day when normally it is still dormant and covered in winter mulch.