GROWING POTATOES, ONIONS, GARLIC AND SHALLOTS

Site Selection

There are many factors to consider when selecting a vegetable garden site. A vegetable garden should receive at least six hours of sunlight a day. Ensure beds are away from the drip line of trees and shrubs that may prohibit sunlight and water. The drip line is the area extending from the trunk of the tree out to the furthest branch. Ideally, the vegetable garden should be located at a distance from trees and shrubs that is equal to the height of the closest tree or shrub. A vegetable garden may be any shape or size. Intersperse vegetables among flowerbeds to attract bees and butterflies. A site with a slight southern slope is ideal, as it will foster good drainage and provide more sun, which will help keep the soil and root temperatures warm.

Once vegetables have been selected, sketch a rough plan of the proposed layout, including the various types of vegetables, their spacing requirements and the size of the garden. Remember to plant tall crops behind smaller crops. Ensure that vegetables have adequate space to grow as they mature.

Potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum)

Potatoes require a light, well-drained, loamy soil. Mix soil with a liberal amount of well-decayed manure or mushroom compost to provide for the potatoes' characteristic heavy feeding. Early crops may be planted as soon as the last frost is finished. This is normally around the beginning of May.

Potatoes should be prepared at least ten days prior to planting. Cut full-grown potatoes into sections. Ensure that there are two eyes for each section with a small piece of potato attached. Spread pieces in a box and sprinkle all cut surfaces with sulfur. This will prevent the potatoes from becoming diseased. The sprouts that result should be planted within two weeks, with no more than three or four shoots on each piece.

Plant potatoes in trenches four to six inches deep and two to three feet apart. Place the potatoes 15 to 18 inches apart and cover with two inches of soil.

When plants are four to six inches high, begin to harvest potatoes. Hoe the surrounding soil toward them, in order to keep the soil loose and crumbly. Do this gradually in intervals of ten days to two weeks, taking soil from between the rows. Continue this until there is no longer room between rows to do so. Kill weeds before they develop.

Crops may be dug up from the time the vines begin to die until they are dead, normally when plants are five- to six-inches high. Leave potatoes lying on the ground in the sun for a day to toughen the skin and prevent bruising. Store potatoes in a cool, moist area. They should remain fresh for up to six months. Cellars make ideal storage areas. For added humidity, try placing bowls of water in the room where potatoes are stored.

Pasquesi Home and Gardens offers two late potato varieties: Kennebec and Red Pontiac; and two early varieties: Irish Cobbler and Superior. Kennebec potatoes are oblong in shape and have white skin and flesh. They grow thick stems and deep green leaves with white blossoms. Red Pontiac potatoes are vigorous growers, with a rounded shape, reddish-purple skin and white flesh. The Irish Cobbler early variety yields white, round potatoes. The Superior early variety produces white potatoes, larger and more oblong in shape than the Irish Cobbler variety. Early potatoes will be ready to harvest before late potatoes, indicated by a withering of the plant's stems and blooms.

Onions (Allium Cepa)

Generally, onions grow well in any light soil. However, they do prefer rich, loamy soil. As with potatoes, the soil should be prepared with well-decayed manure or mushroom compost. Seeds should be planted two or three inches apart in rows one to one-and-a-half feet apart. Nutrients are essential, as is plenty of water, so placing them on the lower part of a slightly sloping garden bed is best.

Water onion plants liberally, especially during dry summer weather. After planting bulbs, wait about one week before weeding to avoid disturbing plants. Ensure rows are kept free from weeds thereafter. Onions have properly matured when the plant leaves above the ground have decayed. This usually occurs around mid September. Dig up the onions and leave them in the sun for several days to thoroughly dry them out and toughen the skin. Onions are best stored in a cool, dry place where they should keep for up to six months.

Pasquesi Home and Gardens offers red, white and yellow onion varieties.

Garlic (Allium sativum) and Shallots (Allium Cepa)

Garlic and shallots are easily cultivated in any soil. The bulbs should be planted in early March several inches into the ground, but not covered with soil. Spread bulbs six to nine inches apart, with 12 inches between rows.

At the beginning of July, the soil should be drawn away from the bulbs so that they may ripen. When the stems begin to die in early August, pull up the bulbs and allow them to dry for one to two days. To dry, hang bulbs in a cool, breezy place. Garlic and shallots should be stored in a cool, dry space and will keep until the next spring.

Pasquesi Home and Gardens is Chicagoland's premier resource for gardeners wanting to create a perfect atmosphere. We have a vast selection of plants, many of them rare and unusual. Our qualified, professional staff is ever-willing to share their knowledge with customers needing advice.

Pasquesi Home and Gardens is a complete resource for gardening, home and pet supplies. There are hundreds of beautiful accents for the home and out-of-doors, and Pasquesi Home and Gardens has an unrivaled collection of containers for indoors and outdoors in many different styles, materials and shapes. Both stores carry a wide range of quality garden tools and outdoor furniture.