Allium Bed

[angelique]

Hi All,

I am planning on building an allium bed for onions, garlic and leeks. Last year, I had to pull them out early to plant my tomatoes and other veggies. My new bed will dedicated only to alliums. I have room for a 4'x8' bed. I really need advice choosing to go with 6" or 8" high lumber. I have heard mixed opinions by local retailers.

I also would like to know what I can do with the allium bed once they are pulled. Most people plant onions (here) in Sept and garlic Sept to Dec. They are then pulled around May. So what can I successfully plant (annual herbs or veggies) in the bed from May to Sept? (PS. Please don't say 'maters).

Thanks lots.

Angelique

[tjg911]

i'd say 8" and i doubt that is adequate. when i pull my onions i then dig the area to prep it for planting small kale plants. i dig down 12" and i still see roots from the onions. not sure about garlic but i'd think they are similiar.

as to a follow up crop in may, i have no idea where in california you live or the temps/weather at that time of the year. swiss char does well in summer here just water it every day. cukes? bush or pole beans? broccoli will do amazingly well in the heat of summer (i used to say oh broccoli is a cool weather crop) if you water it every other day. 1/2 gallon for small plants 1 gallon for large. i never saw such high output as this summer even tho we had upper 90's and even into 100's with heat indexes above 100 with ultra high humidity for long periods of time. but i did something different this summer - i watered every other day due to the heat. cabbage, carrots, eggplant loves the heat, peas, peppers, zucchini. all these should produce by the time you need to use it again.

tom

[shelleybean]

I would also say deeper is better, especially for garlic and leeks.

For me, May to September would be perfect for cucumbers and squash or some bush snap or bush lima beans.

[angelique]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely go 8". I live in Roseville, CA. Last year, we had a high of 114F. That's not normal. We still normally hit several 105+ days. Sacto has dry heat.

Most people out here grow kale, carrots, chard, peas and cabbage in the Fall.

I'll definitely use the bed for bush beans and cukes. Last year, I could get enough cuke. I grew jelly melon, miniture white, Armenian, greek and lemon. Next year, I had planned on adding on a couple more varieties. Now I know where to put them. I'll save 1/2 the bed for Costata Romanesca (squash). It's not my favorite, but it sure produces male flowers. DH and I loved these stuffed.

i