Rows of young garlic and yellow onion sprouts. The shallots, planted in the foreground soil (next to the collard), have yet to sprout – the best for last!

Garlic, yellow onion, shallots, and collard veggie bed along the sidewalk. Sure beats a lawn! Note the light covering of oak leaves as mulch, a good erosion protection from the winter rains.

Tree collard cuttings 3 weeks after propagation. Some cuttings have been chewed down by snails or slugs, but others are going to thrive past that onslaught of Nature. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Plant enough cuttings to confuse the confounders! And, some of the collard cuttings will make it.

Shallot stalk, “Do you like my (oak leaf) hat?”

Rains are coming, so I fetched some sidewalk leaves to mulch the garlic/onion/shallots/collard veggie bed with. Cleaning up the sidewalk gives me plenty of rich, partially broken down leaves. The leaves were also used to extend the veggie bed in Tipped Wine Barrel (see blog entry next week?).

Garlic harvest from our sidewalk garden – Straw Bale Recliner Veggie Bed. Note how the garlic was rinsed to remove soil from the roots. The rack (a discarded baker’s tray) will allow the garlic to dry. Nice job, Frau Glory!