Six Thirty Spectral Trip (and a word or two about Garlic)

First, the word or two about garlic. It looks like a good garlic year here on marvellous Martha’s Vineyard, provided you planted your crop last fall. And mulched well. The last weeks of little rain have been just right for maturing the bulbs without splitting them and has lessened the risk of outer wrappers molding in too-damp soil. If your plants are still in, and if about half the leaves on your plants have turned color or dried up, it’s a good time to pull those plants and dry them. Spread them out in the shade somewhere, in a location with good airflow. In a few weeks, when they’re all dry, brush the worst of the dirt off, whack off the tops, trim the roots, and your bulbs are ready to store in the “cool dry place”. Don’t forget to select out and reserve your most beautiful bulbs, for replanting this fall.

It was almost eighty degrees (F) at Five of the Clock this morning. On hot days, it’s good to be active early, take a siesta midday, and then to enjoy the shade and cooler temperatures as afternoon shadows fall. One of this morning’s activities was an eleven-and-a-half minute trip in the yard and garden, looking for color.

“Color was to be found.”, he subjunctivated.

The neighbor was getting ready to tear down his house. The gardens were going to go, too. After the destruction, we found a slip of a daylily, trying to come up from the rubble. So we dug it up, took it home, and have nursed it along, and now have three big clumps. It’s the best red daylily we’ve ever seen. We’ve no idea what variety.

Bumblebee in tithonia. Tithonia takes high honors in the red-orange category

Moving along to Yellow. “Success” yellow summer squash. From High Mowing Seeds. One of the best and strongest summer squash that you can grow. Last summer’s planting was the most mildew-resistant I’ve ever seen. Here’s hoping for a repeat performance.

Green “Corno de Toro” (bull’s horn) Italian peppers. The picture on the package showed red, yellow and green fruit. We are hoping our dozen plants will give us all the colors.