...the day for gardeners who overwater, underwater, maim, prune or otherwise neglect their plants to a state of dismal droopage or untimely death. This is the day for gardeners like me with black thumbs who kill more than they cultivate, for cadmium-green-thumbed gardeners who have a lapse in judgment and commit accidental planticide, and for any poor soul whose plants fall victim to that fickle mother who controls us all - Mother Nature.
She's mighty impressive that way, isn't she. Kate, too, of course.
My first GBDD for the season is one by choice. Things haven't been in the ground long enough to die on me yet, however all of my radishes bolted, so I suppose that would count as well, but this edition will focus on the onions I had to pull to make room for some more tomatoes that had to get in the ground.
21 whole POUNDS of onions that had to leave the ground. They had all bolted, so there weren't any large bulbs, but I was still able to chop them up and freeze them for use in cooked dishes. I don't have any for fresh storage, but over all, it was still more successful than last year, so I can't complain.Then there was this one who wouldn't give up the ghost.
He obviously doesn't understand he's already bolted and won't grow any larger. See where the leaves are shorn off? I grabbed it and when it wouldn't come out I braced my feet on the bed and kept pulling until the leaves just tore right off...and I punched myself in the eye and fell on my butt.Nice. Looks like he's staying until I meander out there with a shovel and a blowtorch. We'll see who's boss, then.
Head on over to Kate's and see how she did this month!
HAH! My onions are so firmly rooted, I broke them off trying to pull some for a salad. I had to dig the bottoms out with a big meat fork, then arrange them so the broken parts were hidden by spinach leaves for the photo. At least I didn't fall on my butt ;-)
ReplyDeleteTo bad they didn't bulb up but like you said they will be just as good. I have heard it can be difficult to grow onions in the south. I think I sent you a link to dixondale farms. They list varieties to grow in the south and ship plants as well in the fall.
ReplyDeleteLOL Great post!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yep, those things sure have some strong roots.
ReplyDeleteI deleted this post by Mr. H by accident!!! I'm so sorry. He said:
ReplyDeleteI have done that more times than I can count with my own onions. I have not actually fallen over but do curse to myself every time I rip the greens off and fail to remove the entrenched bulb. I did fall over trying to remove a parsnip once though, luckily no one saw me do it.:)
Ah, the GBDD posts have begun...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laughs, and the idea to freeze the onions. I think I'll need to do that w/my shallots, and with the onions I'll be pulling this weekend.
hahaha...I'm sorry to laugh at your expense. Punching yourself trying to get up an onion sounds like something I would do.
ReplyDeleteSo I've never grown onions before but once they bolt, do you just use the whole thing like a large green onion?
hahaha! I think I have punched myself in the eye before a couple of times removing those!
ReplyDeleteI just cut up the part that would have bulbed, Thomas, and froze it. I didn't go too much up the stem.
ReplyDeleteIt was a rather humerous event, I'm sure. Sucker's still in the ground. I'm content to leave him there, all alone to suffer.