PlanterTomato Vegetable Gardening

Halloween Pumpkins 2011

This was the year of the zombie.  My 2011 pumpkins show a zombie rising from the grave and setting out into the night.

The grave...

And the risen....

For pumpkins carved in previous years, check out my Prior Post on How to Make A Fantastic Halloween Pumpkin.

Many of you know this poem, but it's so perfect for Halloween that I can't resist posting it. Courtesy of Edgar Allan Poe.  Happy Halloween to all my readers from PlanterTomato.

The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

 

How to Can Sweet Peppers

In this posting, I show you how to preserve sweet peppers.

I grow sweet peppers in my greenhouse and recently took the last harvest of the season.  With lots of peppers on hand, I decided to can them for future eating.  I will probably eat most of these as a kind of salad by just drizzling a little olive oil on top and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Canning peppers is similar to canning other vegetables but there is an important additional step required.  As with tomatoes, the outer skin of the pepper can become quite tough, so it is best to remove the outer skin prior to canning.

Blistering Peppers to Remove the Skin

• Wash and dry the peppers.
• Remove the stem and seeds and then cut the peppers in half.
• Place on a cookie sheet or baking dish and place under the broiler in your oven until the skins blacken.  This will take just a few minutes.
  
• Once cool, you find it very easy to remove the skins.

• You can cut the peppers into smaller pieces or can them as is.  I cut my peppers in half one more time so that each piece is a quarter of a pepper. 

Canning Peppers

1. Clean 1/2 pint canning jars and sanitize the jars, lids and bands in simmering water. (For general instructions on canning, see my prior posting that covers Basic Canning of Tomatoes)
2. Place the peppers into hot jars.
   
3. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to each jar.
4. Top off the jars with boiling water so that they are filled, leaving 1 inch of head-space.
5. Process in a pressure canner for 35 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.  (If you live in a location that is at an altitude of above 1,000 feet, increase processing times accordingly.  You can find a table detailing this in my posting on canning tomatoes. Click here to see table of adjustments)
6. When done, allow canner to return to zero pounds pressure and remove the peppers.
7. Allow them to cool.

You'll find these canned peppers have a wonderful roasted flavor.

Delicious Pasta Sauce: Secret Ingredients Revealed

A few weeks ago, I was cooking for the kids and needed to create a red sauce for the pasta.  I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to try creating my own recipe on the fly.  Everyone loved it, so I'm going to share the secret ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of home-canned or store-bought chunk tomatoes
• 1/2 stalk celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• A few tablespoons of finely chopped pancetta (you can substitute 2 strips of bacon)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
  

Secret Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ok, the secret ingredients look more like the kind of things that belong in a pumpkin pie, but I swear these are an awesome addition to pasta sauce. 

The inspiration for this was a meal I had at a local Mediterranean restaurant.  The restaurant adds some nutmeg to their moussaka and I liked the dish so much that I decided to add both nutmeg and cinnamon to my red sauce to see what would happen.  I found that these two spices add a wonderfully warm flavor that people will love but they will be unable to identify the secret ingredients.

Here's how to prepare the sauce. Give it a try.  I think you'll like it.

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the pancetta/bacon, celery, and garlic.
2. Add the pancetta to a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the bacon is cooked and some of the fat is left in the bottom of the pan.
3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the celery.  Cook till the celery is soft and translucent.
4. Now add the garlic and cook for a minute, but be careful not to burn it.
5. Add the canned tomatoes (including the juice) and cook for about 20 minutes.  Home canned tomatoes contain lots of water, if you are using store-bought, you may need to add some water or a little white wine to keep the sauce from burning.
6. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook over a medium to low heat for 20 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend.
8. Serve over a pasta shape of your choice.

Getting Your Bee Hive Ready For Winter - A Checklist

In this posting, I provide a check list of things you need to do to prepare your hives for the cold months of Winter. 

Two weeks ago, I harvested the last of my honey supers and added another 22 pounds of honey to the pantry.  That brings my total haul for the year to 60 pounds.  At that time, I checked the hives and all looked in good order and the hive beetles that invaded one of my hives seems to be under control - I use a trap filled with apple cider vinegar to lure the invaders to their doom.

Now that we are into October, its time for me, and most other bee keepers, to get things in order so that our bees survive the Winter.

Here's the Winter check list:

1. If you haven't done so already, remove any remaining supers.  During the Winter months, the population of the colony will drop and they will cluster in the center of the hive to keep warm.  Removing the supers keeps the size of the hive small so that bees have an easier time keeping the temperature warm enough to ensure their survival.  If you harvest honey from these supers and plan to keep the comb for next year, the best way to clean it out of any excess honey prior to storage is to let the bees do the work.  Just set the hive boxes in your yard and let the bees "rob" any remaining honey; the bees will leave the comb completely clean and ready for storage. (See below)
2. Inspect the hive to make sure that the bees have enough stores for Winter.  In cold climates, a bee hive will need about 60 pounds of honey to make it through the Winter.  In warmer climates like Northern California where I live, 30-40 pounds will do the trick. You can estimate the amount of honey the colony has by visual inspection -- A deep hive box filled with capped honey will contain about 60 pounds of honey. A medium hive box holds 35 pounds and a shallow hive box holds 25 pounds.).
3. If the bees are short on honey for the Winter, feed them sugar syrup.  (To make this syrup, boil 2.5 quarts of water and then add 10 pounds of sugar.  Remove from the heat, and stir till all the sugar is dissolved.)  I don't medicate my bees, but if you do, wait till the syrup has cooled before adding any treatments.  Now place the syrup into a feeder and leave this on till the bees stop taking the syrup, or until the temperature drops and the bees form their Winter cluster.
4. During the Winter, water can condense on the hive cover and drip down onto the bees, lowering the temperature of the cluster and potentially killing the bees.  To prevent this, provide ventilation that will remove any excess moisture.  Some bee keepers place a few pop-sickle sticks under the four corners of the inner cover to provide a gap to let air into the hive.  I've modified my inner-cover with a notch that allows moisture to escape.  I've covered this with wire mesh to allows air in, but keeps mice and other critters out. (see below)
   
5. Add a mouse guard to the front entrance to prevent invasion.
6. If you are in a very cold climate, you can provide additional warmth to your hive by wrapping it in black tar paper.  The black paper absorbs sunlight and warms the hive.  (Because I live in a temperate climate, I've never done this and can't provide any guidance on how to best apply the paper)

If all goes well, your bees will begin emerging from the hive on a warm day in Spring.  Here in Northern California we do get a bloom of flowers in January.  If the temperature is warm enough, it's possible to see bees forage for this early supply of nectar, even in the dead of Winter.

 

Photo: During my most recent inspection, I found that both hives have more than enough honey to get through our temperate Northern California Winters.

Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe

Minnesota midget is a small, heirloom muskmelon that was developed for Northern gardeners (short growing seasons) at the University  of Minnesota in 1948.  It produces 4" diameter melons with sweet orange flesh in about 70 days.

I purchased two Minnesota Midget plants on impulse while visiting my local garden center earlier this year.  When I arrived home, I found I really didn't have a good place for them and so I just stuck them between a lemon tree and a cucumber trellis. There, with little sun-light, they took forever to grow and bloom.

Out-of-sight, meant out-of-mind and I totally forgot about the plants.  By the time I re-discovered them, the few melons I had on the vine were over-ripe and tasteless.  Purely by chance, I left the vines in the ground.  After harvesting the last of my cucumbers early this summer, I removed the trellis and this allowed more sunlight to shine on the melons and allowed a lone melon to mature very late in the season.

I harvested this small melon this weekend and got a real surprise.  It was juicy, sweet and firm fleshed.  What a pity, I hadn't grown these properly! 

I saved some of the seeds and will do it right next Spring. 

Growing Minnesota Midget Melons

For those interested, the right way to plant melons like this is to directly sow the seeds into the garden once the soil temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Plant melon seeds about 1/4 inch into the soil and two feet apart.  Melons are heavy feeders, so make sure they are planted in soil that has been well composted and gets lots of sunlight. 

Minnesota Midget grow on compact vines that are about 3 feet long and are good candidates for trellising.  Planted properly, you should get melons in about 70 days.

By the way, plant in full sun.

Growing Wheat In Your Home Garden

 In this posting, I tell you how to grow wheat in your home garden and provide information about an heirloom variety of that is reputed to be excellent for pasta and bread.

Regular readers of this web site know that I've been experimenting with growing grains in my backyard garden.  In the fall of 2009, I successfully overwintered hulless barley and this Fall, I harvested an heirloom variety of flint corn called "Longfellow." (see below photo)

Since I've been on a bit of roll with these grains, I decided to try my hand at growing wheat.  I choose a variety called Frassinetto for the experiment.  This type of wheat was developed near the town of Frassinetto, Italy in the 1920's and is reputed to be an excellent variety for making pasta or bread.  Frassinetto wheat has a protein content of 14%, a very respectable number, even when compared with modern hybrids.

Planting Wheat

When overwintering wheat, plant 8-12 weeks prior to when the ground freezes.  This allows the plants time to establish themselves before the Winter sets in but keeps the plants small enough so that they are less likely to be blown down by Winter wind and rain. (I cover this topic in greater detail below)

Commercial farmers use seeders to precisely plant seeds.  I planted my wheat by creating rows every 4 inches and dropping seeds about every 4 inches.  This was a reasonably precise, but very tedious approach.  An alternative approach, is to scatter the appropriate quantity of seeds over the area you intend to plant and then rake the seed into the ground. 

I've seen recommended planting rates of anywhere between 2.5 to 10 ounces of seed per 100 square foot plot.  I suspect that the large variation in recommended planting rates reflects differences in planting technique (using a seeder versus raking the seed into the ground) as well as different germination rates between various wheat varieties.  If you decide you want to try your hand at this, here's what I'd recommend...

• If you can plant fairly precisely, plan on using 4-6 ounces of seed per 100 square feet.
• If you plan to cast the seed and rake it into the ground, plan on using 6-10 ounces per 100 square feet.

Whatever approach you take, the seed should be planted at a depth of about 1 to 1.5 inches.

Maturity

When planted in the spring, wheat matures in 16 to 18 weeks.  However, when overwintered, it generally takes between 38 to 42 weeks.  Since I planted my wheat on the first day of Fall, I will probably be harvesting in mid June (somewhere between June 16-June 23).

Yields

Reported wheat yields vary dramatically based on type of wheat grown, location, and weather conditions.  For example, in a trial done in 2009 and 2010 by the University of California, measured wheat yields for various varieties were between 1,300 and 7,600 pounds per acre. (see table below)

Frassinetto was one of the wheat varieties included in the trial and came in at the very low end of the scale, with a yield of just 1,500 pounds per acre.  If I were to achieve the same yield , I would expect to harvest about 3.5 pounds of wheat on my 100 square foot plot.  Pretty meager!

However, the test also included some interesting information that may allow me to bump up my harvest if I intervene effectively. If I can prevent lodging, the yield might rise to something closer to 6 pounds.

The Impact of Lodging & What to Do to Prevent It

In the trial, Frassinetto wheat had a 40% lodging rate versus an average of 6% for all the varieties in the trail. "Lodging" is the term used to describe grain plants that have toppled over.  This can be caused by either the roots of the plant becoming displaced (generally if the soil is very wet) or by the bending and/or breaking of the stalk itself (caused by wind, rain etc.).  Lodging can severely impact grain yield and a shorter varieties of wheat have been developed to help combat the problem.  Not surprisingly, Frassinetto was the tallest wheat included in the trial, growing to 55 inches in height versus and average plant height of 38 inches.

To reduce the chance of lodging, I decided to give the wheat additional support.  To do this, I placed stakes in the ground every few feet and then connected them with yellow twine.  The twine will help keep the wheat stalks standing if they encounter strong winds over the Winter.   I ran the string at two heights -- 16 and 32 inches above the ground.  There's no magic to those particular numbers; I just placed support at about one-third and two-thirds of total estimated height of the plant.

Next summer I'll let you know if this latest experiment in grain growing worked and whether the extra support helped.

Frassinetto and other wheat varieties can be purchased from Sustainable Seed Company if you are interested. 

If you go with other varieties, the University of California data suggests that you could harvest as much as 17 pounds of grain from a 100 square foot plot. 

How to Make A Fantastic Halloween Pumpkin

In this posting, I provide some ideas to get you thinking about Halloween and information on how to carve a great jack-o-lantern.

OK, I'll admit it... Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year.  I really enjoy seeing the kids come by in their costumes, sticky hands and all. 

As part of our annual holiday tradition, I try to carve a new pumpkin design each year.  I haven't decided on this years design, but I'm thinking that it might be a year for zombies or vampires. 

Below are some past designs I've done that I hope will inspire your own carving.  Carving a pumpkin like this isn't hard to do, but it does take time and patience.

For detailed information on creating templates to create these designs, check out my prior posting, How to Carve Great Halloween Pumpkins.

Black Widow Spider: The hardest part of this design is the hour glass shape in the center.  You need to be careful not to cut through the four little "connectors" that hold this element to the rest of the pumpkin.  I would also recommend increasing the distance between the body and legs as these sections are very thin and hard to carve.

Graveyard: Use a Dremel tool to carve the letters and the cross and urn elements on the top of the gravestones.  To make the letters, cut deep enough into the pumpkin skin to allow light to pass through, but not all the way through to the center of the pumpkin.  Of the pumpkins shown in this posting, this is the easiest to carve because the shapes are fairly simple.
 

Grim Reaper:  This is also fairly easy to carve because the shapes are simple.  The hardest part is the coffin which is also held the body of the pumpkin by six small connecting "bridges"

Hangman:  This pumpkin has high "wow" factor but it took a very long time to make.  Carving the hanging man without breaking the rope was particularly difficult.  Only attempt this if you are willing to spend 3 hours carving a pumpkin.

Dragon:

Kids Names On Tombstones:

 

If you decide to carve an unusual pumpkin, send me a photo and I'll post it.  Have a great holiday.

Overwintering Onions & Garlic

Now is the time to get your onion and garlic sets.  Learn all about onions and garlic in this posting.

Garlic and onions can be planted in either the Spring or in the Fall.  I've done both and have settled on the Fall as my preferred time because there are fewer pest problems to deal with during the Winter months and over the winter the bulbs have an opportunity to create strong root systems.  Consequently, Fall plantings tend to produce larger bulbs.

For most gardeners, onions should be planted in September or October.  Garlic is generally planted a bit later -- October or November.  A good rule of thumb is to plant garlic sets after your first major frost of the year. 

Seeds or Bulbs?

Garlic is almost always grown from bulbs. Onions can be grown from either seeds or bulbs, but I plant bulbs because I find them so convenient. Onion and garlic bulbs (generally referred to as "sets") can be purchased from your local garden center, or from various mail order suppliers.  You'll find that onion and garlic sets sold at the garden center are less expensive, but you won't have much of a selection.  In fact, the onions sold at my local garden center are sold in bags that don't even list the variety, just "yellow onions" and "red onions." If you decide to order your sets from a mail order supplier, I recommend Territorial Seed company.  They have a particularly good selection of both onions and garlic.  Other potential suppliers include Dixondale Farms (sell onion sets) and Baker Creek (sell an interesting range of onions but as seeds only)

Culture

Plant onions and garlic in full sun and in loose, well drained soil. The drainage is particularly important since very wet soils will cause the bulbs to rot.

To plant garlic, first separate the bulb into individual cloves. Plant these six inches apart in all directions. Garlic should be planted two inches deep into the soil with the pointed end of the bulb facing the sky. 

Plant onions six inches apart in all directions.  The pointed part of the bulb should be facing upward towards the sky and the tip of the bulb should be just poking out of the soil. 

When selecting onion varieties, choose ones that are appropriate for your area.  Onions bulb in response to the number of hours of sunlight they receive.  In the North, the amount of daily sunshine varies dramatically during the course of the year, with many hours of sunshine in the Summer and relatively few during Winter.  In the deep South, day lengths are much more consistent during the course of the year and summer days are not as long as they are in the North.  So folks in the Southern U.S. should buy "short-day" varieties (bulbs start to form when there are 10-12 hours of sunshine) and folks in the Northern U.S. should buy "long-day" varieties (bulbs start to form when there are 14-16 hours of sunshine). Intermediate-day onions fall between these extremes (bulbs start to form at 12-14 hours of sunshine) .  See the below map of the U.S. to determine which type of onion is right for you or check out the  Gaisma web site which lists hours of sunshine by month for the U.S. and other countries.

Harvesting

Garlic and Onions planted in the Fall should be ready for harvest in June or July.  Timing really depends on variety and your location.  The best way to tell when to harvest is to observe for your plants for clues that it is time to harvest.

• Harvest onions when the leaves lose their color and fall over.  Once this occurs, leave the onions in the ground for another 10 days to allow the onions to reach full maturity.  If possible, harvest onions on a sunny day since the bulbs will contain less moisture and will store better.  After removing from the ground, cure in the sun for 1 day to kill the root system of the bulb.  This also improves the storage life of your onions.  Then store in a cool, dark and dry place. 
  
• Garlic is a little trickier.  Wait till most of the leaves die back and turn brown, but before all of the leaves have toppled over as with onions.  I recommend testing by harvesting a bulb or two and checking to see if they are mature.  The bulb should be the appropriate size for the variety you are growing and you should be able to feel the individual cloves under the outer skin of the bulb.  If so, harvest the garlic and then cure in a dry place for two to four weeks.  Longer for very large bulbs.  When storing garlic, I don't trim the leaves or the roots.  I believe this helps preserve them, but there are more opinions on the best way to cure garlic than there are stars in the sky.
  

Harvesting Garlic, from the Tacuinum Sanitatus, 1500's.

Onion and Garlic Varieties

There are many varieties of onions and garlic from which to choose.  The varieties differ in terms of their taste characteristics (strong/hot or mild), storage capabilities (short and long storage) and growth habit. (early, mid and late season for garlic or short-day and long-day for onions)

When choosing an onion for your garden, be careful to select one that will work in your location; onion plants create bulbs based on the number of hours of sunlight they receive and are sold as "long-day," "short-day," and "intermediate day" varieties.  Northern gardeners should purchase long-day onions and gardeners in the South should opt for short-day onions.   Onions also differ dramatically in terms of their size, from tiny "pearl" onions up to the huge Ailsa Craig that can tip the scales at up to 6 pounds.  Check out the varieties offered by mail order companies to find onions and garlic that meet your tastes and geographic requirements.  Here are some varieties you might consider:

• Purple Glazer Garlic - a mild tasting, easy to peel, mid-season variety.
• Music Garlic - a moderately hot, mid season variety with high yields.
• Chesnok Red Garlic - a strong, late season garlic that is good for cooking.
• Ontario Purple Trillium garlic - a very strong and very early maturing garlic.
• Borrettana Cipollini onion - a small (2 inch), flat, yellow, long-day onion that is a good storage.
• Red Wethersfield onion - a red, long-day onion thats shaped like a flattened globe.  It's an heirloom variety from Wethersfield, Connecticut.
• White Bermuda onion - a white short-day heirloom originally from Bermuda but now grow extensively in Texas.
• Candy - A large, intermediate-day hybrid onion.

To learn more about garlic, see my posting, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Garlic