Lavender Seedlings. 4 Nov 24.

 I bought some lavender seeds online, to add variety to the xeric border.   I wanted plants that might be a little different from what I already have, or can find in stores.  Also, that are advertised as blooming the first year from seeds, if started early.

I'm starting them extra early in hopes of getting a head start on next year.

I chose the varieties Vicenza Blue and Bandera Rose.  Bandera Rose is a mini variety, Vicenza Blue might grow a but larger but still not huge.

I sowed the seeds on top of moist seed starting medium.  I spritz them every day.  They are at house room temp, not on a heating mat.  Around mid 60s F to about 70 F.  It has been ten days.

No seedlings yet in one of the Vicenza Blue containers, and the other has fewer than the Bandera Rose.  I don't need a lot of plants, so I'm happy so far.

Rosemary Cuttings Rooted and Replanted. 21 Oct 24.

 Here are some of the rosemary cuttings that I started, late summer.

Originally, I tried rooting them in water.  After several weeks, no roots.  So I cut off the lower portions, scraped the sides of the lower new underground stems to expose cambium layer, dipped in rooting hormone, and planted in potting soil.

They's been showing roots through the bottom holes for a few weeks.  Nice root systems now.

I started two per container. I separated them now, quite easily.

Repotted in approx 4" containers in regular pitting mix.

Now I'll keep them in the sunroom under lights, until early Spring.

Next - some sage cuttings will get similar treatment.  I'm not sure about the lavender cuttings.  I don't see roots, but they are not wilted or dried out looking, either.

Second Garlic Bed Completed. 21 Oct 24.

 I think the timing is similar to previous years.  This is a bit more garlic than usual, all the Music variety. Music consistently produces by far the largest cloves / bulbs for me, with strong spicy flavor.  The cloves peel easily once dried, and keep almost a year after harvest in my garden.

This time planting where I had peppers.  The enclosed 25 gallon fabric containers that acts as a 4 x 8 foot bed.  

All planted.  Not much to look at.  I took out the top approx 5 inches of soil, added chicken bone meal, crushed eggshells, and organic vegetable fertilizer to the soil underneath, mixing it in  Then set 7 or 8 garlic cloves in place and buried by replacing the soil.  This compares to about a 4 foot row in the regular raised beds, with 8 rows.  So about the same number planted  per bed.  The garlic cloves are about 4 inches deep.  I forgot the bone meal for the first crop, so that can be a comparison.

Fortunately I was able to collect enough maple leaves to cover them all.  

Now the main over-wintering crop is settled in for the season.  The sole remaining task for these will be to repair and re-set the drip irrigation loops before dry season next summer.

First Garlic Planting. 17 Oct 24.

 I finished planting the first raised bed of garlic.  This year, I'm solely planting the Music variety, bulbs that I set aside to keep from the July harvest.  These are reliably the best harvest for me, most flavorful cloves, the biggest, and are easy to peal.

Same as previous years.  This bed contained the fresh-eating tomato crop this year.  I had already cleaned it up and mixed in crushed eggshells.

I made trenches about 4 or 5 inches deep, added organic fertilizer to the bottoms of the holes, cultivated that in, and placed the cloves in the trenches.

Then I filled in with the soil, and smoothed with garden rake.  I mark each row with a bamboo rod.

Then I raked red maple leaves and mulched the raised bed.  This is how I do it each year, and I always get a good crop.

The drip irrigation lines will need re-installing.   Not urgent.  The urgent jobs will be to harvest the remaining green beans, and to clear the second raised bed to plant more garlic.

Preparing Bed For Garlic Crop. 18 Oct 24.

 I removed the tomato plants, wire cages, and cardboard mulch to prepare this raised bed for planting garlic. 

Then I spread crushed eggshells.  I didn't try to crush them finely.  They will gradually disintegrate in the soil, slowly releasing calcium.

Then I turned the soil over and mixed in the eggshells.  

Tomorrow, weather permitting and if my body permits, I'll plant the garlic and start the same for raised bed #2.