The Stalwart Leek

The roses are close to blooming.  Though roses themselves are gorgeous, the leaves are attractive in their own right.

One of the seven Queen Elizabeth hedge roses taking a shower

Handsome, versatile leeks function both as an food crop and structural plants.  Sow seeds by May and they will provide visual/culinary interest starting in early autumn all the way through to next spring.  They can be popped into the bays between shrubs in a sunny location as long as the area is pesticide/herbicide free. They will stay in the ground looking smart and perky until you are ready for them so no real need for successive planting.

Leeks are biennials.  The second year, that is, their second spring, they go to seed. Edible plants often go bitter when they go to seed, so I make sure I harvest what I want as food before that happens, leaving a couple of plants for seed collection.  Or if you have the space just let nature eventually do it for you and then transplant the volunteers into better locations.

Note the lovely self-sown youngster.

Select the sturdiest and most robust leeks to be your seed bearers.  The seed head itself looks like a gnome's pointy hat.  Leeks are such a class act as they look as dapper as ever while sporting their steely-blue, violet, or white globular flower heads.

Leek seeds being tiny and black makes it difficult to regulate their spacing.  In addition, leeks are best transplanted so their lower fleshy parts are fully buried ensuring that they will be white and sweetly succulent.

Transplanting allows for the better placed leek on the right which is buried right up to bottom leaves

Leeks certainly can be mounded if grown in place.  However, both problems are solved more easily if they are sown first in flats.  Or a few seeds can be sown in small pots, obviating the need to transplant later to larger pots.  Leeks do not need heat to germinate so the flats/pots can go out on the terrace/patio/balcony. In either case choose the sturdiest seedlings to remain, clipping the others off at soil level with scissors.   Another approach is to sow directly into a nursery bed, with later transplanting to where they will mature and be harvested. When transplant size, they are as thick as a pencil and should be placed about five inches apart.

As leeks and potatoes are such a perfect pairing one does not have to stop with leek and potato soup.  This agreeable coupling works well when making twice-baked potatoes.  Eight halves make for a very nice packed lunch for two if one has access to a microwave.  Some people do without re-heating, not that I would know about that!  Or two halves can accompany a larger meal providing a total of four servings.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH LEEK STUFFING
(Makes eight halves)

• Four medium-large baking or all-purpose potatoes 
• Leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced, two cups 
• Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 cup
• Cream, 1/3 cup 
• Garlic, one large clove crushed
• Red pepper flakes
• Butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper as needed

Having a block of aged Parmesan is nice to have handy

Scrub potatoes well.  Arrange on a rack in a 450 degrees F oven and bake till tender when tested with a knife's point--when done, the knife will feel like it is sliding of its own accord into the centre--about 45 to 60 minutes depending on the potatoes' size.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the prepared leeks and crushed garlic with a tablespoon each of butter and water--sauté for a few minutes first in butter, then add the water--in a covered skillet till tender for about 15 minutes.  Cut the baked potatoes into halves and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl, leaving enough potato to make 1/8 inch thick walls.  This is a rather important detail for the finished dish--if the walls are too thin, the shells will not do their job holding the filling neatly in place, if too thick, you miss out on the delectable filling that could have been there.

Score first around the edge and then hollow out, neither too thickly or thinly

Rice or mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Reserving a couple of tablespoons of leeks for garnishing, put the rest in a small bowl and purée with an immersion blender with just enough cream to get a smooth texture. Then add the puréed leeks, Parmesan, and the rest of the cream along with the desired amount of salt and freshly ground pepper to the potatoes.  Beat well with a large wooden spoon or whisk till a luscious consistency.  Stuff the potato  halves.

This nifty masher is really a ricer

Note the leeks smoothly blended with just enough cream and the leeks  reserved for garnishing

Any time food preparation requires mixing/beating, I use it as an excuse to make percussion music

The filling can be piped into the shells or a scored pattern  following the contours of the potatoes can be made using a fork.  Bits of butter placed on top will increase browning.  Bake 400 degrees F for about a half an hour or until the top is crusty and golden brown. Garnish with red pepper flakes and the reserved leeks which may need to be reheated to make them glisten attractively.

Bon appétit!

Michelle's Astuce

If a more puffy, pillow-like look is preferred, mound the shells as fully as necessary, using the extra ones as the basis for making potato skins.  There will be about four halves constituting heftier portions, so keep that in mind when menu planning.

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Sowing seeds indoors

Cleaning leeks and leek/potato soup recipe

One Potato, Two Potatoes, Three Potatoes!

Spring so far has been unusually cool and rainy for southwest France.  I am not complaining.  Much time is saved because I don't need to water, the soil is a pleasure to work, and everything looks and smells so freshly green.

Main part of the potager viewed from a second-story window

The pansies may actually last for another month or so before getting done in by heat.

Some of the pansies started from seed last autumn enjoying a cool breeze

Les Fruitiers are just starting the next stage of their cyclic growth.  Their tiny but perfectly formed fruits never cease to delight.  Despite their minuscule size, details like individual grapes, fuzz on peaches, and the distinctive silhouette of figs can be seen clearly.

Grape vines provide both fruit and veggies as I use the leaves to make dolmades

Our fig tree has two crops, one in spring and a larger one in autumn

Garden-grown potatoes (pommes de terre in French=apples of the earth) are stupendous, out-of-this-world tasty, so different from store bought that with my first taste last season, I decided it was a new vegetable, one that the rest of the world greedily had succeeded in hiding from me!

Certified seed potatoes are the surest way of not starting with already diseased potatoes.  Note well that seed potatoes are chemically treated and therefore are not edible.  The seed potato itself eventually shrivels into a dark, hard mass making it easy to discard when harvesting.

Sprouting or chitting increases the number of planted potatoes that will grow into plants, while making that growth quicker.  It takes about six weeks to chit potatoes so keep that in mind when ordering them.  If there is no time to properly sprout them, they can still be planted as most of them will grow.  Place them with the sprouts facing up in a warm, sunny place.  The appearance of the desired, dark-coloured sprouts is triggered by sunlight.  Remove any long, white, brittle sprouts which may have grown because of lack of light.  Sometimes the skin harmlessly wrinkles during sprouting because of dehydration.  They are still fine to plant.

Desiree, a red-skinned, late-season variety happily sprouting on a sunny window sill

When sprouts are about an inch to two inches long, the potatoes can be planted outdoors.  If seed potatoes are large enough, they can be cut into chunks containing one or two sprouts.  Let the cut surface dry for a day.

Planted potatoes can take a light frost, and if necessary horticultural fleece can be used to protect them.  In my climate, I plant early ones by mid March, mid-season varieties by end of March, and the late-season main crop by mid April.  This schedule enables successive harvesting for both fresh eating and storage.  Also choose varieties that lend themselves to the kind of recipes you do--firmer ones for steaming and salads, drier or mealy ones for baking, and an in-between texture for all-purpose.

Loosen and aerate the soil deeply with a spade and fork in some compost if you have it.  Then make an six-inch-deep and a spade-wide trench.  Sprinkle the recommended amount of bonemeal at the bottom.  Bonemeal supplies a big hit of phosphorus (the second number in an NPK formula) which promotes root development.  It is considered suitable for organic gardens.  As cats go nuts over bonemeal be careful you do not bury a small, beloved pet along with the seed potatoes.

When bonemeal is cruelly denied to Dayo, he settles for a nice snack of apple blossoms

Cover the bonemeal with an inch of soil, then place seed potatoes about fifteen inches apart with sprouts pointing upwards.  For chunks, put the cut end on the soil.  Three potato plants fit crosswise in my block beds.

This variety is mid-season Mona Lisa

Using a rake, pull the soil piled on the side down over the potatoes, filling in the trench.  A small plank can be used to firm the planting.  Place it where needed and gently step on it.

About two weeks later:  lusty, emerging potato plant

When my motivation ebbs during digging trenches, I take a break under the pergola and think of herb and sour-cream onion/potato/saucisse de Strasbourg soup or potatoes au gratin or the Calm One's speciality, kitchen-sink potato salad containing herring, apples, cornichons, hard-boiled eggs, salami, tons of mayo, and oh yes, some potatoes, cleverly cut into perfect, itsy-bitsy cubes via an egg slicer.  I then hobble from the comfort of my seat and manage a few more goes with my spade.

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Some Like It Hot

Spring here in southwest France is continuing at a brisk pace.   The fresh green of young leaves along with the calming blues and mauves of lilacs, bluebells, irises, and sweet violets  contrast with the snappier yellows of pansies and the whites of tulips.

Lovely, oh so fragrant lilacs

White Tulipa Fosteriana, a species tulip, drenched in rain

However, I have to guard against any surprise, overnight cold snap.  For a few nights, the flowering strawberry beds needed a cosy fleece cover to guard against frost.

Dayo can't tell the difference between a strawberry bed and his bed

Though gardening can be very relaxing, it is also demanding, offering windows of opportunities that are often short.  The onions planted in mid February are now about five inches tall and need to be fertilised so a good harvest in July is ensured.  

Though onions are bulbs, rather than using a fertiliser high in phosphorus which promotes root development, it is thought better to use either a high nitrogen or a balanced one.  In order for each layer of an onion to be formed there needs to be a corresponding leaf--those tasty, blade-like things are leaves!  Nitrogen boosts green growth and therefore in this case green growth boosts bulb development.  Nice, fat onions please!  Yum.  I gently hold back the rather brittle leaves with the back of my hand as I go down rows, scratching the fertiliser into the soil with the side of the cultivator so as not to break off any of the leaves.

A side dressing of 10-10-10 fertiliser is gently worked into the soil

Meanwhile, heat-loving veggies/herbs like tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, melons, courgettes, and cucumbers need to be started indoors about six weeks before the last frost day which is about mid-May here.

A special soil-less mix for sowing is best.  As it is very fluffy, light, and airy which is perfect for delicate roots, it is necessary to add water and get it very moist before putting it into flats in order to fill the containers adequately.

Moistened commercial sowing mix, transplants, recycled food containers

Fill up clean flats almost to the top with the well moistened mix and press down lightly.  Seeds sparingly spaced will cut down on later thinning. Larger ones like melon/squash seeds can be individually spaced and smaller ones can be placed using a moistened toothpick.  Label rows of different varieties as you sow.  Cover lightly with a bit of dry mix and then press down again, this time more firmly, to let the moisture seep up into the dry mix.  This method prevents seeds from moving about which would disturb spacing and confuse identification. 

The flats now have to be kept warm.  I use an enclosed electric incubator but the flats can be kept on a heating pad also as long as a makeshift tent of plastic is kept over the containers and the flat is fitted with a drainage tray.  

Incubator has a vent as to prevent mould formation if it gets too moist inside

As soon as green growth is spotted, get them out of the incubator and onto a sunny windowsill or under artificial lights.  Days here are usually warm enough for me to take them outside as long as I remember to bring them back indoors in the evenings.  A gentle wind also strengthens their stems.  Some people blow on their tomato seedlings or use a fan indoors to toughen them up!  Any delay in getting light to them will stress them, and when stressed, plants tend to race forward in an desperate attempt to go to seed so as to pass the next generation on.  Instead of developing into sturdy, bushy plants, they will become leggy and fragile.

When you spot the first set of leaves, it is time to snip off some seedlings at the level of the mix with scissors to establish good spacing.  This way, none of the remaining seedlings' roots will be disturbed as they would be if you pulled out the rejects.  Choose the most vigorous ones.  A good spacing is when there is enough room between plants to be able to separate them when transplanting into separate little pots without injuring their roots.  Each seedling should  have a nicely defined though small root ball, a root ball of their own so to speak.

Four varieties of duly marked tomato seedlings in their recycled food tray.

Once the plants have a second pair of leaves, that is, true leaves--second pair of leaves resemble the leaves of the mature plant, unlike the first pair--and are about two to three inches tall, transplant them. A re-potting mix which has been lightly moistened will encourage good growth.  I use an old teaspoon as a mini-trowel and a small knife to get them out of the flats into separate small pots.

Rows of sturdy seedlings are cut like slices of brownies with a small knife

Make a small hole in prepared pot and place root ball into hole

 When handling delicate seedlings, pick them up via a leaf and not by their stems.  If the stem breaks, that's it, it dies.  If just one leaf comes off, you still have a living plant.  Put tomato seedlings deeper into the pot then they were in the flat. Tomato stems can sprout roots, hence your transplants will be supported by a robust root ball when setting out into the garden.  Carefully firm the mix around the plant.  Label and water them until the water runs out the bottom, and then re-water when the surface goes almost dry.  Keep them under good light, whether artificial or natural. 

Roma tomato seedling safely set in its new home

Think you are done?   I am afraid not!  Go ahead and get ready the outside area for your seedlings as it is best to let prepared soil to settle for a few weeks before the actual transplanting is done.  If you find your motivation flagging a bit, think of all those red, ripe, juicy tomatoes you will eventually gobble up. 

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Hills of Strawberries

Here in southwest France, spring is going at a breakneck speed.  In fact, it is rapidly morphing into early summer as our summertime lasts about six months.

Rhubarb waking up

Bearded Irises going at full throttle

The strawberry plants are beginning to flower which means I will need to fertilise the two beds.

Two-year-old plant forming tiny yellow berries in the flower's centre

However, I have some transplants to do first.  Placing the crown just at the right level is important because if planted too high, roots will dry out, if too low, the crown will rot.  Hilling accomplishes the correct placement very nicely.  Start by loosening the soil with a spade or a fork to a depth of five to six inches depending on the length of the roots.  Very long roots can be trimmed.

Using a trowel, dig a circular trench, depositing most of the soil outside the trench and some on the centre mound which needs to be an inch or two above level ground.  Firm the mound lightly.

Voilà!  A little moat.

Spread gently the roots over the mound, tucking any extra length around the trench.

Crown is the light-green, fleshy, triangular part just above the roots' top

Fill in the circular trench with soil, firming the planting by cupping your hands around the crown while pressing down.  Plant should not wobble, that is, the crown should be securely supported by soil while not being completely buried.  The carrot seed packet shows the slant of the hill, otherwise not very visible in the below photo.  To accommodate hilling in my block beds, I space the strawberries farther apart (about 15 inches) than the usual denser planting.

On to fertilising which consists of sprinkling the recommended amount around each plant about a few inches away from the crown, and then lightly scraping the granules into the soil, being careful that the shallow roots will not be disturbed.  Water well.

Using the cultivator's side instead of the prongs avoids damaging roots

Though a basic 10-10-10 will suffice, one with an NPK number where phosphorus and potassium (second and third numbers) are higher than the first number (nitrogen) would be better as phosphorus and potassium are needed for root and fruit development.  The first application is done as soon as the flowers appear and the second one is after harvest.  As soon as the season's first mowing of grass clippings dry, I will mulch the strawberry beds to keep the berries off the soil and to conserve moisture.

This natural 5-6-8 fertiliser can be used also for raspberries and currants

Strawberry plants are productive for about three years.  However, there will be no berries the first year if you follow the recommendation by the experts and pinch all flowers off to promote strong root development, and even if you don't pinch them off, there will be just a light harvest.  It is the second year where the biggest production occurs.  Third year is heavier than the first, but not as generous as the second.

Second-year strawberry bed followed by a first-year planting

There are efforts to produce an annual strawberry which would simplify their care.  But until then, if you want a satisfying crop of berries (they are the Calm One's favourite fruit), you need to plan each spring for there to be plants entering their second year.  Happily, once you buy your initial plants--usually shipped as bare roots and planted either in the fall or early spring--they will produce enough runners which can be used for propagation.  Some gardeners sell their extra baby plants for a bit of pocket money.

Strawberries, along with tomatoes, are one of the commercial crops containing the highest level of pesticides because of their susceptibility to disease. In home gardens, however, meticulous rotation works wonders in keeping them mostly disease and pesticide free.  Also, the taste of home-grown strawberries and tomatoes are incomparable as so many delicious varieties are available which can not be found in markets.

Unblocking Food Potential of Small Gardens

Bearded Irises will be in full bloom in several weeks

Young pea shoots are one of the earliest harvests of all.  About two/three weeks later after sowing, thinning out the pea bed results in a good amount of succulent three-inch-high shoots.  

Though they can be eaten raw in salads, my favourite way is to sauté two cups of loosely packed, sliced, and washed pea shoots (shoots pinched off at the ground usually are entirely edible, however check for any fibrous lower stems requiring trimming) with minced garlic and some red pepper flakes in about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in an omelette pan for about five to seven minutes till tender.  Scoop out the greens and reserve in a small bowl.  The residual olive oil should suffice.  Pour into the skillet three beaten eggs.  

While omelette is setting (lift up the perimeter bit by bit with a spatula to let liquid egg seep underneath), spread evenly the tender pea shoots and grated Gruyére on top, leaving about an inch around the edge free of topping.  Cover and leave on low heat for about a minute or two till the cheese melts, and then fold one half over the other with a spatula and slide onto a plate.  Cooked shoots taste somewhat like oriental greens. However, when consumed raw, they retain a fresh pea taste.

Pea shoots turn dark green resembling spinach when cooked

A rough estimate is--if we could even find veggies/fruits of similar quality and variety--it would cost us about ten thousand dollars annually to buy what we grow.  Might as well toss in the equivalent of a gym membership and weekly therapy sessions as gardening keeps me both physically fit and mentally sane.  Well, at least, a bit saner. 

Block-bed style, whether raised or not, is advantageous for small gardens because more can be grown, crop rotation is made simple, and preparation/maintenance of planting areas can proceed gradually and orderly.  Block beds can still be framed but not raised.  I have framed my level, thirteen 4-foot-by-12-foot beds with terracotta roofing tiles.  There was a small mountain of them heaped next to a dead cherry tree.  I began with just one bed off in a corner and gradually through two years, with the help of the Calm One, there is a good portion of our garden in a food-producing state.  Framing the beds this way is borrowing from the French approach of parterre, lending a pleasing structure to our garden.

The Calm One devised this string template to guide shaping rectangular beds

Tiles keep oak-leaf mulch neatly in place in centre bed

Paths between the beds need to be wide enough--at least a width of two feet--to allow for the passage of wheel barrows and to be able to kneel easily between beds.  Various weeds and grasses covering the paths are kept trimmed with my blue buddy, an lithium-battery-powered line strimmer.

Taking a much deserved rest

Horticultural fleece can be tucked easily under the tiles.  Fleece is so useful.  It protects crops from surprise frosts, extends the growing season, stops birds and other animals from eating/disturbing seeds, and protects against insects, especially carrot fly.  Fleece allows both sunshine and water to pass through.  I use the biodegradable form which lasts about two to three years, and then can be composted.  Tiles hold down flattened cardboard when I sheet compost (using the weeds already growing in place as a source of compost).

Living in a small city is convenient for finding discarded large cartons

The tiles act as slug traps.  Slugs crawl under them during the day to escape the sun.  I go down the sides of the beds, partially lifting up tile by tile, scrapping the slugs into a can of water.  Once drowned, they go on the compost pile.  But the real reason for the tiles is that Dayo insists on having a solid, dry surface to walk on.

Dayo strolling between the garlic and onion beds

Since veggies are grown so close together in block beds, the plants themselves act like a mulch, conserving moisture and retarding weed growth while looking attractively bushy.  Because I usually fill a bed with an particular veggie, it is not necessary for me to label the plantings. Each year, I make a rotation plan of what will grow in which bed covering three main harvests each year as my focus is intensive gardening, that is, getting the most food out of our garden.

One drawback so far is when hilling plants, like potatoes and strawberries, there is not enough spare soil since block beds are planted so densely.  Spacing strawberries a bit farther from each other than usual works a treat, and for potatoes I use compost and grass clippings to ensure that the growing potatoes will not poke up and turn green because of light exposure.  Another drawback is when initially weeding--before the bed can fill out and act as a living weed-suppressing mulch--it is best to forgo long-handled tools and get at the weeds up close with smaller tools.

Monsieur M often says when he spots me lightly spading a block bed, use the spading fork, it will be easier.  I tell him in my broken French that because I never walk on the beds, the soil is loose and it is easy using a spade.  He always looks puzzled and doubtful--no idea if it because of my badly spoken French, or he just does not believe me, or what is most likely, he is teasing me.  In any case, the frequent fork suggestion has become a precious part of my gardening routine, never failing to leave a smile on my face.

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Sowing Peas

Ready, Set, Onion!

Dayo has the greatest knack of settling down into places providing both security and good views.

He is checking out if I will harvest something interesting, like pork, fish, or milk.

The garden guides my activity.  It says it's time to harvest the last of the winter crops to make room for warm-weather varieties.

Garden-fresh Brussels sprouts have a delectable nutty, slightly sweet taste

Solid honey or carrots? 

Leeks ready to be thoroughly washed

The last of the mâche (superb fresh greens all through winter)

Home-grown onions are wonderful.  Though proper carmelizing of onions is essential for a really good French Onion soup, home-grown onions take it to another level.  The main types are regular (Allium Cepa) and potato/multiplier onions (Allium Cepa var. aggregatum, that is, perennial onions once used in home gardens and fast becoming popular again).  Onions can be grown via seeds, transplants, and sets.  Seeds need more time from sowing to harvest, while transplants and sets take less time. However, there are usually many more intriguing varieties available as seeds. 

For regular onions, I prefer to use sets which are just tiny immature onions.  If planted thickly, some can be harvested as scallions/green onions before reaching maturity, allowing more space for the rest to mature fully.  Onions planted in early spring will be ready for harvest by July.

Block bed containing around 250 Stuttgart onion sets

With my trusty rake, I make short furrows down the whole bed, placing the sets around four inches apart (for harvesting some immature onions as scallions, place closer together) and about one inch deep.  If a bit more depth is required for some of the huskier ones, deepen the furrow with a finger tip and gently place the set, taking care not to press down, as the basal plate can get damaged.  I discard any soft, damaged, rotten sets.  

With the back of the rake I first cover the rows with soil, then tamp down the bed, and finally water well.   If the birds consistently pull out the baby onions by their tops, I cover the bed with horticultural fleece.  So far,  just one set was yanked out (and dutifully replanted). There is no need for labelling as the entire bed is filled with onions.

Onions putting out green growth about a week later

The rather bossy lettuce seedlings are telling me to transplant them now.  Off I go! 

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