I recently received a gift of some top-set onions. Top-set onions are onions that create the onion sets at the top of the scapes. The scape will fall over when the set matures, allowing it to contact the soil and start a new onion. Once you start a bed of top set onions, they will continue to propagate in this manner and you will have onions for as long as you maintain the bed.

Since these onions would be planted in a permanent bed, I did not want to plant them in the vegetable garden. I finally decided to plant them beside the orchard in the back garden. The soil in that particular area is red clay so I mixed a lot of decayed compost into the clay to loosen the clay and to add organic matter. Adding the compost to the soil also built the soil to a higher level. Once I had the compost and clay well mixed, I hunted the property to locate some stones for a quick border. The finished bed measured inside the border was approximately 124.5 cm (49 in) by 68.5 cm (27 in).

The Finished Bed

Once the bed is completed, planting the onions is very easy. I simply used a stick broken to a convenient length to make a hole in the soil. Once the hole has been made, you gently push the onion into the soil. Push the soil back around the onion and continue to the next until you have planted all the onions. Once you have all the onions planted, water the bed making sure you have soaked it thoroughly.

The Finished Bed Planted With Onions

In no time at all you will be enjoying these delicious little onions. They can be eaten raw, added to cooked dishes, diced and added to salads, dehydrated and stored for later use, they are a great addition to soups; the possibilities are only limited by your culinary skills.

Mandevilla

There are a variety of Mandevillas ranging in colours from red to pinks to yellows to white. Only a few of the varieties have been named and I have no idea if mine has a particular name or not. I did a simple search and could not find one with the same colouration as mine with a name. In fact, I could not find a photograph of a Mandevilla with the same colouration at all. A Mandevilla is a climbing vine and favours a warm climate. However, one can do as I have and place it in a pot. When cold weather threatens the plant, you simply cut it back and store it in a place that will not freeze. Some will actually bring the plant into the house to winter over and it will continue to grow and bloom during the winter.

The name of the plant comes from Henry Mandeville, a British diplomat with a fondness for gardening. Mandeville was honored with the Mandevilla vine being named after him and it is assumed that Mandeville discovered the plant while serving as a diplomatic in Argentina.

If you have a sunny place in your gardens, I would suggest including a Mandevilla. The plant blooms all summer long to winter in colder climates and is continuous in warm climates. Since Mandevillas are climbing vines, either a trellis or fence will be needed for the vines to climb on. I have mine beside the side porch railings where the vines climb along the railings. I have not done so yet, but I need to cut the vines back so they will branch more and produce more blooms.

Brown Turkey Fig

In the back garden I have a brown turkey fig bush. Each morning I go out and gather the ripe figs for my breakfast. Brown turkey figs will actually have two crops of figs; an early crop and a larger crop that ripens between the months of August and September.

Brown turkey figs are very easy to grow. Any sunny spot in the garden will work and they will even grow in partial shade, although they prefer a sunny location for best growth and production of fruit. Brown turkey figs can be grown in a variety of soil types as long as the soil drains well. Figs do require regular watering, especially during hot summer months, to produce big juicy fruits. Brown turkey figs are rather hardy; however, long periods of cold weather can kill back the tops. Don't worry if this happens as new growth will come up from the roots. Fruits are set on new growth, so when the bush becomes too large, pruning will be necessary to bring the bush back to a more reasonable height.

Brown turkey fig bushes can produce large crops of fruit. To have sweet juicy figs, it is best to let them ripen on the bush. However, figs do have a very short shelf life so the question as what to do with that large crop of fruit may come to mind. I have the answer, make fig preserves! To see how easy it is to make your own homemade fig preserves, just visit my kitchen at http://kitchen.secretcorners.net/2010/08/27/how-to-make-fig-preserves