Saving Seed and Garlic Harvest

I took this aft off from work, since the temp dropped enough to make it easier for me to go out - I don't like the heat.

So today I pulled our garlic - only about a hundred heads, but it was our first!

The scapes we had for a few dinners in June and I'm saving some for winter  stews (in freezer) and some for garlic scape pesto-and I gave a bag to my brother in T.O.

I had planted music and elephant garlics.  I'll save a few head of each from this harvest to plant again in November.  Oh and of course, we'll eat lots!!  I'll use some for my garlic jelly and sell maybe 10 (all I can spare)...  I'll have to get more seed garlic of course to get to my goal of 1000 heads (not next year, maybe the year after).  I'll add a few more varieties this year as well, to experiment.

some elephant garlic

Today I also harvested the spinach seed - tomorrow I'll thresh it.  Our first seed saving experiment!!  Love it!!  And spinach is a favourite in our house - spinach salad, spinach lasagna, sauteed with garlic or lemon, sauteed Asian style, blanched then served with Maggi seasoning (okay, I know Maggi is full of MSG, but it's a flavour from childhood that just has to go in some soups and on spinach!), and so on...

spinach seed

Next year I'll try saving two other seeds - oh, I suppose I have saved chive seeds in the past, but that was never a conscious I'll let this crop go to seed decision , like with the spinach (after it came up again this spring).

Spinach in November

Well, the chicken cage worked.  I actually had a big harvest for once from what I planted in my garden.  From now on I'm fencing in the garden and the chickens will walk free!

Here are some pictures from today.  The Spinach is going very well, and there's still some lettuce and radishes, but the kale is still small. Oh well, when we do have it it will be all the more delicious!  I cover it with old fabrene and that seems to work even at the -13 degrees celsius we had this morning!

Now will be the real test though... We haven't had a daytime temp really in the minuses, so I'm looking forward to see how long this garden will last. 

Today I read about www.urbanhomesteading.org and their 100-foot diet challenge (it's a backyard version of the 100-mile diet).  They're from Pasadena, Ca and still grow about 60% of their produce in winter.  I would love to do that!!  And yes, I do know they have four warm seasons and we only really have one and a half... but that is the challenge for next year's garden - this year was my experiment to see how long I could grow fresh fall-sown veggies (okay we've had a loooong fall and I've been lucky that way :-} ) but next year I make a concrete goal to have fresh veggies (not just home-grown stored veggies) for the winter.  Ha - I may be dreaming but it's something to work towards...

The Great Anti-Chicken Experiment

Mama and the TGACE 

Day 1

Yep, Mama and I built an anti-chicken device - the Cage - to grow some fall crops.  I suppose you could call it a reverse Chicken Tractor bc the chickens are kept out side it instead of in… It was Mama's idea - we've had this frame sitting on our property forever and a day and I never saw a use for it - it was junk. BUT take a brand new set of eyes, and voila! TGACE (AKA The Great Anti-Chicken Experiment) was born!
We covered this frame in chicken wire (what else!), gave it a door I had once used in the chicken coop and prepared the soil.  Oh the chickens were allowed to help with that - the last time they'll set foot in it this year!!  We planted spinach, spring mix, radishes, kale, and onions from seed.  I'm looking forward to fresh lettuce in October, but I;ll be happy with any fresh produce we get!!  The onions may just be tiny springs onions, but I've got a start on next year anyway with them!
In a few weeks, I'll cover it with some fabrene we have so that our little plants will survive the killer frosts we'll get.  After Labour Day, I have to start covering my tomatoes.  The killer frost will be here soon - Environment Canada is predicting rain for the next five days, so we shouldn't get frost until after.
Here are some pictures of Day 1 and 2 - not much action yet :) but you get the idea…

Day 2, Door View

Day 2, Rear View

It rained last night so the seeds got a good start.