My gardeners have been very busy in my large, half-acre vegetable garden. Last week, they planted the season's crops of onions and leeks which were all started from seed in my greenhouse. Onions and leeks are part of the Allium family. They are hardy, thrive in full sun, and are easy to grow in a variety of soils and climates.
Here are some photos.
Every year we harvest lots of wonderful, fresh onions. it’s one of our favorite crops to pick here at my farm. The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
Onions require 90 to 100 days to mature from seed, which is around four months. We start seeding our vegetables shortly after the New Year and then in spring we transplant them into the garden.
Onions should be planted when temperatures are still a bit cool once they start to grow, and then warm when they begin to mature. Early planting gives the onions time to develop tops and store energy for the bulbs.
This day was perfect for planting our onions and leeks. Here, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, measures the bed for proper placement. Healthy green plants should be 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in rows 12 to 15 inches apart.
A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of shapes including the straight dibber, the T-handled dibber like this one, the trowel dibber, and the L-shaped dibber.
Onion seeds are less expensive than other growing options such as sets and starts. Starting onions from seed can also offer a wider variety of onion types.
Because I use a lot of onions for cooking and for sharing with my family, we plant many trays of onions.
Our seed packets are kept in plastic envelopes, and plastic bins – all are labeled and filed for easy reference and stored in a greenhouse refrigerator. Then, when it is time to seed our trays, we know they are well organized and in good condition. Here are many of our seeds for onions and leeks. We get our seeds from our favorite companies and wherever I find them during my travels.
Here is one tray of onions in our Urban Cultivator the day we started them.
Here they are a few days later…
And then last week, we took them all out to plant in the garden. Onions are closely related to garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions and chives.
Matthew separates the plants and places each one down in the row a few inches from the next.
Using the dibber, Phurba carefully positions the plant with the root end down and pushes it into the soil about two-inches deep until all the roots are well covered.
Onions are also categorized in two growing types: long-day and short-day. Long-day onions begin sprouting in late spring to summer when days are between 14 and 16 hours long. Short-day onions begin sprouting when days are between 10 and 12 hours in length – winter and early spring.
Be sure the top of the plant’s neck isn’t covered too deeply. If too much of the plant is buried, the growth of the onion will be reduced and constricted.
The two beds include red onions, white onions, yellow and brown onions.
Here, Matthew backfills the rows with the back of a soft rake.
Here is our bed of leeks. To thrive, leeks need lots of nitrogen and consistent soil moisture.
And two beds of onions. Next, they’ll all get a good drink of water.
We’re off to a wonderful growing season – it won’t be long now before I have bounties of fresh, nutritious vegetables.
My garden maze now includes a long row of Lynwood Gold Forsythia.
I started this three-acre maze in the spring of 2022, and so far I've completed more than two-thirds of the entire course. I've planted European beech, European hornbeams, boxwood, parrotias, espaliered apple trees, American sweetgums, barberry, London planetrees, privets, camperdown elms, yews, a variety of evergreen shrubs, and now forsythia. The Lynwood Gold Forsythia is fast growing and maintains an upright growth habit with graceful arching branches. This flowering shrub features beautiful bell shaped yellow blooms in spring, alternating green leaves in summer that turn to a dark purple in fall and winter with the return of cold weather.
Enjoy these photos.
A couple weeks ago, we picked up 16 forsythias from Select Horticulture in nearby Pound Ridge. I knew these shrubs would be great additions to my living maze.
The crew uses marking spray, often used for landscaping jobs, to indicate exactly where each tree will be planted. Forsythia do best in full sun to light shade with well-draining soil.
Backhoes are extremely versatile. I am fortunate to have this attachment for our tractor. Backhoes come with a bucket and digging arm that can perform many different tasks.
These holes are carefully dug along the northern most side of the maze. It will eventually develop into a beautiful spring blooming hedge.
Chhiring manually smooths out each hole as needed and ensures it is deep enough for each specimen. The hole sides should also be slanted. Digging a wide planting hole helps to provide the best opportunity for roots to expand into its new growing environment. The entire process of planting these forsythia takes a couple of days.
Chhiring also sprinkles fertilizer specially made for transplanting. Remember, “if you eat, so should your plants.”
Scotts Evergreen Flowering Tree & Shrub is a fertilizer that is ideal for acid-loving trees and shrubs, including evergreens, dogwoods, hydrangeas, and magnolias. It encourages vigorous root growth and lush foliage, and is easy to use – just sprinkle a generous amount into the soil.
Chhiring removes the protective burlap from around the root ball.
And then he removes the cage. Removing all the material is very important. Some gardeners will leave the wrapping in the ground, but I prefer to remove everything around any trees that are planted at the farm, so there is nothing blocking its root growth. Some burlap is also treated to prevent it from disintegrating.
As it is removed, all the protective cages and coverings are placed by each tree, so we are sure it was taken off.
To place each one into its designated hole, Chhiring slowly rolls the root ball into position. Only hold it by the root ball and the base of the trunk – never by its branches, which could easily break.
All these shrubs are in good condition, but we always position plantings with the best side facing the walking path.
Next, Chhiring rmoves the twine holding the branches together.
Here the twine is removed and the branches are given time to open naturally.
The leaves of the Lynwood Gold Forsythia are oval, dark green and three inches long with toothed margins. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow with a hint of purple, or shades of red and purple, before going dormant.
The shrubs are then backfilled. A good tip is to “plant bare to the flare,” meaning do not bury above its flare, where the first main roots attach to the trunk. The roots need oxygen to grow. By placing the root flare at or slightly above ground level when planting gives the specimen the best chance for survival, growth and development.
Phurba follows behind and rakes the pit, so it is neat and tidy.
Once they’re all planted, the forsythias are given a very deep and thorough drink. It’s been hot and humid here this week – we’ve been watering quite a bit.
Here is a view of the row planted and backfilled. When fully mature, these will be about eight to 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide.
I think it looks excellent. I am so pleased with how well my maze is turning out. What do you think?
There is always so much work to do on my Bedford, New York farm.
During the warm season, all my potted tropical plants are displayed outdoors in various locations. This year, I decided to display four large potted specimens in front of my Hay Barn - two Bismarckia palms, Bismarckia nobilis, and two pygmy date palms, Phoenix roebenenii. These attractive, slow-growing plants are thriving and will do very well in the custom square fiberglass planters painted my signature color, "Bedford gray."
Here are some photos.
These are the wide silver green leaves of the Bismarck palm, Bismarckia nobilis. It is among my favorite palms and I have several in my collection.
I knew two of my bigger Bismarck palms would look great in the square planters from ePlanters. They come in a dark cement gray color, but I painted them Bedford gray to match the exterior of my houses.
The Bismarck palm is a native of Madagascar that grows to a height of 30 to 60 feet with a spread of 12 to 16 feet. This is the base of the plant. The leaf base is split, creating an attractive pattern on the 15–18-inch-diameter trunk.
Phurba measures the length of the root ball to determine how deep it should sit in the pot.
Shards are placed in the bottom of the container. This is so soil does not fall through the holes or block any drainage.
Non-woven landscape cloth is also placed at the bottom of the container for proper filtration, allowing water to pass through while keeping fine soil particles out.
Phurba also measures the depth of the pot as soil is added to make sure it is filled with the right amount.
Scotts Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Palm Plant Food is added to the soil scooped into the container. This fertilizer continuously nourishes tropical plants for up to three months. It contains magnesium, iron, and manganese to reduce the risk of yellowing or curling fronds.
Phurba and Pasang gently lift the potted palm up and into the container with the nicest leaves facing out.
Hauling all the needed soil is our Kubota M4-071 tractor – a vehicle that is used every day here at the farm to do a multitude of tasks.
Once the plant is in its pot, Pasang fills the surrounding areas with soil to secure the plant.
Phurba spreads the soil evenly across the pot and adds more fertilizer.
And then Pasang gives the Bismarck palm a good drink.
I also decided to transplant two giant pygmy date palms which had outgrown their urns and needed new homes. Pasang carefully went around the root ball with a hori-hori knife to loosen it from the pot.
This plant definitely needed some attention – the root mass has grown quite a bit. Pasang scarifies the root ball, or slices through the roots, in several areas to encourage root growth. It may seem harsh, but the plant will send out new feeder roots and should recover quickly.
Pasang and Phurba carefully transport the pygmy date palm to its new pot in front of the Hay Barn. Phoenix roebelenii is a species of date palm native to southeastern Asia, from southwestern China, northern Laos and northern Vietnam.
Pasang and Phurba position the plant in the pot, and like the others, add soil and fertilizer.
The leaves of a pygmy date palm are deep green, feathery fronds that can grow up to four feet long. These fronds form a dense canopy that can have 30 to 50 leaves. The leaves are graceful and arching, and can look piney when the wind blows.
What makes the Pygmy Date Palm so attractive are the brown, textured trunks. These trunks can grow straight or crooked, depending on how the palm is placed as they tend to curve toward the light.
This is the base of the trunk which gives the appearance of a pineapple as old leaf debris is removed.
Two of each plant are now potted up and flank the sliding doors of the Hay Barn. They will remain here until the fall when all the tropical plants are returned to their designated hoop houses for winter storage.
Displaying plants outdoors is an easy way to add color, texture, and nature to any space. They’re definitely a good thing.
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