Sunday Ramblings #82 (DASH meal plan, lilacs, planting onions, onion maggots…)

We have had gorgeous double digit weather all week (finally) so getting the yard and gardens prepped has been the number one goal.

Beds are weeded, edges have been tidied up (I use deep trenches to keep the grass out of my garden beds, no plastic needed), have been planting and cleaning and tidying.

This weekend, plant out your…

peas
turnips
beets
carrots
radishes
onions

gladiolas
sweet peas
soapwort
amaranth
marigolds
calendula
cosmos
zinnias

Seeds only, not the plants yet, for those of us on the prairies. Our nights are still too cool for the next week or so. Just pansies, violas, primulas are safe outside.

Crop cage in a wooden raised bed, to keep out onion maggot flies.

Well, I did it. We have no time to build a cage for my onions, this year, so I picked up this one from Amazon.

I bought a cage that is 9 feet by 4 feet (there are other sizes, too). I must tell you that it really is 4 feet wide. I was hoping it would be just a titch smaller (you know how the sizes can vary on these platforms, hahaha) as the inside of my bed is not quite four feet wide. I could not shove it in, make it fit, so decided to duct tape the two bars on each end together instead. May get hubby to cut off a piece of one bar, but this works for now.

PROS
easy to put together
extra netting on the bottoms, on all sides, so can be secured well to keep bugs from crawling/flying in
3 zippered doors for easy access
ties secure the netting to the frame so it stays in place nice and tight
comes with a few soil staples to help secure it in the bed
As it is all netting, the wind blows through it, does not pick it up and blow it away
Mesh will keep out onion maggot flies, carrot rust flies, deer, rabbits, squirrels, and cabbage moths

CONS
did not come with any instructions so took me a while to figure out (if you get one, message me for directions)
does not have access doors on both sides of the cage
zippers are very strong and sturdy, but the sun will eventually rot them out, I expect. Not a flaw, it happens to all fabrics outside
the mesh is not tight woven enough to keep out flea beetles or aphids so unless the mesh itself proves to be a deterrent

Onions seedlings with long root systems.

I have planted it up since putting up the cage. I first planted the onions that I had started in February or March from seed. They were in seed snails, check out the lovely long roots, eh?

As I had only started white and red onions this year, for some reason, I picked up a small bag on onion sets (the little baby onions in mesh bags) and planted them out, too. I find that seedlings size up better, grow bigger and nicer onions than sets do, but will be able to do a side by side comparison this year, now that they are safe from maggots. Yay!

Onion seedling growing in a raised bed with a turquoise table and chairs in the background, and some blue pots with yellow flowers.

To grow onions, make a shallow (1 to 1 .5 inch deep) trench, put the seedlings in the trench, push the soil around the seedling to keep it standing straight. Cut off the tops, leaving the seedlings an inch tall. When you see the tops growing, you know that the seedlings has rooted in and is starting to grow. Sets are planted 1.5 inches deep.

I plant the onions 3 inches apart, with rows 5 to 6 inches apart to use the garden space as efficiently as possible.

I just liked the look of this potager garden so had to share it. Flowers growing in nice rows along with food crops. I had to really look at it but do not think it is AI, as the beet tops have leaf miner damage and the kale has some yellowing leaves.

Garden Inspiration

I’m going to start with this video from Floret Flower Farm about lilacs. So much great information in this 20 minute video.

Railroad ties to make a pathway. — *The inspiration from the garden photos from this blogger are amazing. You can spend an hour just poking through the photos and getting ideas. Check out the Huskers Red penstemon!*

Hayefield – check out the garden photos from this blogger’s garden. Wow. Just wow. Here is another post from her. Seriously, you need to check out her photos.

Flowery Ideas

White snapdragons with purple coneflowers in the background. — *Snapdragons will often self seed.*

18 Flowers That Self-Seed for Blooms Year After Year – these will vary from region to region. Warmer climate areas will have most or all of these reseed, colder garden zones will depend on the microclimate in your garden and only the toughest will return.
Choose Pollinator-Friendly Cultivars for Your Garden – great article about choosing the right plants for your garden. This is a positive post, not one saying don’t do this, don’t do that. Definitely a worthy read if you are adding more perennials to your yard and want to get great ones for the pollinators.
21 clever container garden ideas for a more versatile outdoor space – patio pot inspiration. A note for beginner gardeners or gardeners new to the prairies – nothing will overwinter here in a pot. You can sink the pot in the ground and lift it in spring, store it in a heated garage or cold room for the winter, but planting perennials is not an option for us, unless we plant them in the garden in late summer (which I often do).
7 Trailing Plants That Cascade From a Hanging Basket – great trailing plant ideas for your hanging basket.

A bowl full of freshly picked carrots. — *Top Tips for Growing Big Perfect Carrots*

Herbs

Canadian Seed Sources

Nasturtiums – the wonderful varieties of ‘nasties’ available from Renee’s. Yes, the ones we buy here in Canada are owned by WCS so you are supporting Canadian if you buy these seeds.
Full Seed Collection – Stems Flower Farm has their seeds on sale! So many great choices and loads of time for us to direct sow, or even prestart and plant out in early June.

Planter pots that have been generously planted with annuals. — *My planter pots in early summer last year.*

Cottage Garden in Containers: Dreamy Small Spaces – number four is the key to great pots or baskets! I would be even more generous!

Woman Asks Neighbors to Stop Picking Fruit From Her Trees: ‘My Garden Is Precious to Me’ – What do you think?

A hornworm before it becomes a hummingbird moth.

What Is a Hummingbird Moth? Facts, Types, and How to Attract Them – i love finding these guys in my garden.

A greenhouse you can build from recycled windows.

How I Built My Greenhouse from Reclaimed Materials

What a cute greenhouse! I think I would have used stepping stones to provide drainage, but it doesn’t look like she is using it as a traditional greenhouse so likely not needed : )

Garden journal from Farmers Almanac. — *Farmer’s Almanac Journal – has so many great illustrations and tips.*

A ceramic birdbath bowl with two small birds on the edge. — *Ceramic Birdbath Bowl* – I think this would make a lovely bee watering bowl.

A solar fountain for a birdbath or pond. — *Solar Fountain* – I like this one best as it has arms to secure it in place.

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Recipe Ideas

Tortellini Antipasto Pasta Salad – unique and flavorful recipe
Gluten-free and Vegan Vegetable Lasagna – might try this. Looks interesting, though I have no idea what Cassava flour is, lol. Will have to sub that out.
Cucumber & White Bean Sandwiches – high fibre and protein.
Green Goddess Chickpea Bowl
Black Bean & Veggie Smash Burgers
Chickpea, Cabbage & Cucumber Salad

This 30 day DASH diet meal plan/menu has a bazillion great heart healthy recipes. I was going to pin just a few for you, but there are so many good ones that I had to share it. Most of the recipes would work for anti-inflammatory diets, weight loss diets, etc.. Easy to replace proteins or dairy for vegetarian diets, as well. Here are a few of the veggie recipes that caught my eye.

The #1 Habit to Break to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

A cat lying beside a catmint plant in early spring.

I caught Little Lulu (she’s not actually very little) nuzzling with the catmint (nepeta) the other day. She was chewing on the new green growth and rubbing herself on those pokey old stems. The funny thing is that she does not (nor have my other cats) care for it once it start actively growing. She just likes it when it is young and fresh and little, or newly planted. She loses all interest later on.

So… if you want nepeta in your garden, do not be afraid to plant it. You will not attract cats from far and wide, but will instead have really happy pollinators as the bees love this pretty plant.

The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden