Finally! I planted my spring-flowering bulbs

Yesterday I finally got my spring-flowering bulbs and shallots into the ground. I've been so busy these past couple of months, and then for the last 7-10 days we've been drenched in rain. There has been no chance of me getting out to the garden for planting.

Then, finally a beautiful day, yesterday, making it perfect for getting outdoors for the one chore I'd be so sad to not get done -- planting for spring. I look forward to spring flowers more so than those of summer.

In the garage I found a bag of bulb food. The bag itself was old and damp. I wanted to make sure that I used it all up. I also had one sack of compost left from summer gardening. As I was digging up the rocky soil for planting the bulbs, I mixed in a fair amount of compost.

I planted some mixed colors of Darwin Hybrid tulips (Darwin Hybrids have better perennializing properties than some of the other tulips), some pink and white Salome daffodils  and some cream-colored crocus.  I already have other spring bulbs in this area, along with a  white azalea and a pink rhododendron (both spring-flowering shrubs). My hope is to continue developing this one spot into a springtime flower haven, perhaps adding a flowering tree to the area, as well, and maybe a small bench.


I realize, that in some areas, it is way past time to get bulbs into the ground. If you have some bulbs to plant, still, it may not be too late. As long as the soil is not frozen, you can plant. In many cold-winter areas, this is right up until mid-November. And you could always fill pots with potting soil for your bulbs, if you just don't get to in-ground planting in time.

Bulbs like tulips really attract small animals. I've used a couple of methods to keep the critters from damaging my bulbs.

I've made basket cages from plastic berry baskets, caging the bulbs inside of two open baskets, facing each other, and securing together with twist ties. I then buried these in the soil at the appropriate depth for the bulbs. Even if the squirrels could sniff the bulbs out, they couldn't get inside the cage. 

Lacking berry baskets (I'm not sure any markets use those any longer), cages can be made with chicken wire or hardware cloth. You simply fashion a box like construction, trapping the bulbs inside and burying the whole thing. This works very well for flower pots, as there's little chance you'll be out digging and accidently hit the cage.

For open spaces in the ground, I prefer to lay bird netting on the soil to protect my bulbs. I stretch out a piece large enough to cover the entire bulb-planted area, and secure the edges with stones. I do this is fall and remove in early spring as the bulbs are coming through the dirt. Although squirrels can be troublesome in our area, with the netting I've never had a problem with them digging up my bulbs. (In an area where I don't lay the netting and have a sum of crocus bulbs, I do see where squirrels have dug up bulbs each year. Fortunately in that spot, I have enough crocus that the damage is not significant.)


In addition to the flowering bulbs, I also finally got the shallots into the ground. I should have planted them about a week ago, but the weather has been mild, and they still have time to develop some roots this fall.  I planted the 14 largest shallots from last years batch, hoping to triple that amount of large bulbs for the next harvest. I still have a basket of the smaller bulbs in the kitchen, for cooking with. I'm not sure about other locations, but in the Pacific Northwest US, you plant shallots in October for a harvest in July. 

Yesterday was likely the very last gorgeous day we'll have here for many months. Oh, we'll have sunny days, and we'll have warm-ish days (it was 60 F here today), but a day both warm and sunny probably won't come again until late March. So pleasant, I hated to have the day come to an end. 

Come spring, I'll take you out for a tour of this new garden area. You can bet that I'll be over-the-moon excited when those first crocus break through the soil's surface.

Storing winter squash and pumpkins

You know from reading here, that I've recently bought several pumpkins and winter squash, as well as grown some sugar pie pumpkins in my garden. Winter squash and pumpkins can last several months in storage, under the right conditions. In my laundry list of what I bought at our produce stand this past week, were 4 buttercup squash, 7 sugar pie pumpkins, and only 2 acorn squash.

I only bought 2 acorn squash because, for one thing, they go on sale a few times in fall at the grocery store. But also, acorn squash have almost the shortest storage life of the winter squashes. Whereas the sugar pie pumpkins and buttercup squash will keep for several weeks longer.

Here's a brief list of common squash and their approximate storage life:

Delicata -- 4-6 weeks
Acorn -- 5-8 weeks
Butternut, turban and buttercup -- 2-3 months
Pumpkins -- 2-3 months
Hubbard -- 5-6 months

The storage life listed is from harvest to table. It may be wise to use your store-bought squash about 2-3 weeks sooner. So, your typical store-bought acorn squash will probably continue in peak condition for 3 to 5 weeks, and a sugar pie pumpkin will be best if cooked within 6 to 8 weeks of purchase.

When selecting squash, look for one free of dark spots and with the stem still on. The one exception to having the stem intact is the hubbard squash. Hubbards actually keep better without their stems.

If possible, store at about 50 degrees F (such as in a cool basement, an unheated entrance such as a screened in porch, or a spare room with the heat turned off or vent closed). Wherever you store them, keep squash and pumpkin off of concrete floors. 

The humidity is generally too high in both refrigerators and traditional cellars for storing pumpkins and squash. Although, once a squash or pumpkin is cut, it should be kept in the fridge, for up to 3 or 4 days.

Do not wash squash or pumpkins before storage. Washing will shorten the storage life significantly.

Don't store near apples or pears. The ethylene gas produced by these fruits will hasten the end of storage life in squash and pumpkins.

If you can't use the squash and you think it's nearing the end of its storage life, cut it into chunks, steam it and freeze to use later.