Garlic in the ground

Garlic bulbs (Rosewood, German Extra Hardy, and Brown Vesper) from Wegrowgarlic.com are planted in two of the raised beds.  There is room for some shallots ( Dutch Yellow) from  easytogrowbulbs.com.  I spread a new load of compost  over the garlic beds and some of the other beds.
Since it is going to be wet and rainy here for a couple of days I put down a coat of fertilizer on the compost, as the compost tends to eat up nitrogen as it decomposes.  I cut down the old asparagus ferns and will have to do some weeding before I put down some fertilizer and compost to mound up over
the asparagus plants.  If the mounds are tall enough, next spring we will be able to harvest some white asparagus spears before they color up (purple or green).

Reading The Samurai Strategy ****Thomas Hoover Only a bit farfetched and written in 1988 so lots of the technology on which this was based was out of date, but a good read: A high-finance, high-tech thriller of Wall Street, murder, currency manipulation. A mysterious Japanese industrialist begins a massive 'hedging' in the US markets. Two weeks later, in Japan’s Inland Sea, divers working for him "recover" the Imperial Sword, given to Japan's first Emperor by the Sun Goddess. Can a lone American lawyer stop him from bringing down the US? (Kindle summary enhanced)

The weekend was beautifully cool but sunny so we moved the boxes that Paul built for the lavender garden and the bluestone slabs for the front and rear entry by the asparagus plot to function as raised beds.  Of course we had to pick rocks so we have 6 more feet of rock wall base on the property line.

First order of business is to plant some garlic and onions to winter over.  Then in the spring we'll try out growing potatoes. We have 3 beds and we can rotate our crops. Luckily we had 3 boxes to play with.  There is still room for one or two more boxes, perhaps for peppers and tomatoes and things.

The other big job was to plant 1.5 bushels (300 bulbs) of mixed daffodils and some muscari in the rock-free beds Paul prepared. They are from VanBourgondien, and come in real bushel baskets.  We need another bushel to finish off the beds.
Sir Rooster led his girls to help; Paul laid fencing on top to discourage them. He's a beautiful bird, except for his feet, but he's getting a bit too territorial and protective.  I watched him and a barred rock fight for over a minute.  Both had their capes raised and claws looking for blood.  She had him on his back for a second; he tore a beakfull of feathers.  They called it a draw until next time, I guess. He's beginning to put up his dukes at me, daring me to fight.  That isn't acceptable, Bird.  you may be seeing the inside of a crock pot before the winter is over.

Reading: The Perfect Crime **** by Peter Abraham from Stephen King's list of well written books he's enjoyed. (library book!!!!)