The Fairy Chasm Gardener: Garden Update and Onion Drying Rack

For as cool and rough as this summer has been, the garden has really been producing some great vegetables. The cucumbers grew well this year. We seemed to have the right amount of rain when they needed it to ripen just perfectly. The cucumbers were sweet with very mild skins on them. The green beans have grown nicely and provided several chances to harvest multiple bowls full. Green peppers have been alright but nothing too crazy. They are a plant that really likes the hot weather, which we just haven't had much of. My potatoes, in the growing bags, are just about ready to harvest. I think by the end of the week they will be ready. I will definitely share pictures.

Nice harvest

Just one of the green bean harvests

The bees really liked the sunflowers

I wrote about my onions a week or so ago and the proper way to harvest them. After I wrote that I decided to change up my onion harvesting strategy a bit this year. I decided not to dry any of the red onions, but to just use them as needed right from the garden. This has turned out to be a great decision. There is nothing better then walking out to the garden and pulling a big, fresh red onion to slice and put on top of a burger you just finished grilling.

It has been so damp and humid that my yellow onions have had a hard time drying, both in the garden and in a sheltered area in my backyard. To be honest, my sheltered area is underneath our old play set. The area underneath the fort in the play set makes a perfect area out of the rain and sun. However, I needed to come up with a solution to get the onions off the wood base of the play set and allow air to move around them. I did a little research and came up with an idea to make a three foot square dry rack out of screen and scrap wood. I think this turned out really well and my onions are drying beautifully. Thanks to my son Charlie for helping out.