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Marlingardener is experiencing a mixed blessing: "My good neighbor gave us a handful of multiplying onions, which I planted and ended up with about a peck basket full. I consider myself a good cook, innovative and creative, but I have no idea what to do with these things.

Please, can someone give me an idea of how to use them, a recipe or two or more, preferably more? The alternative is to set up a target and see who can throw the onions and hit the bull's eye. The prize will be a handful of multiplying onions to plant."

I have to confess, I picked this for Question of the Week because I too have a heapin' helping of shallots in my garden. So help us out here, ">what's you favorite way to use shallots?

And if you don't know what multiplier onions are or how to grow shallots, stay tuned; they are going to be the Featured Plant, on Friday.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Multiplying Onion (Shallot) Recipes Needed STAT! originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 01:01:38.

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It's easy to forget about your garlic plants. Most of us put them in the ground in late fall, just before the ground disappears for the winter. Since garlic requires so little care, you may not notice it again until the leaves start to turn brown. Hopefully that doesn't happen until mid-summer, when your garlic is getting mature and should be just about ready to be harvested. (If your garlic started browning early in the season, it probably just needed water.)

So your garlic bulbs are signaling that they are done growing. Now what? Fortunately garlic is as easy to harvest as it is to grow. Probably the hardest part of digging up your garlic is making sure you don't slice through it. Even if you do, you can still clean it up and eat it. It won't store well sliced, but you have to sample your hard work anyway, right?

I've always considered this a good time to remember to order my garlic for next fall, too. Of course, you can save some cloves from your harvest to re-plant. But if you want to try something new, get your order in soon, so that it's delivered in time to plant. My favorite place to order garlic is Seed Savers Exchange. They have a great selection.

• Harvesting, Drying & Storing Garlic
• Growing Garlic

  Photo: wmstadler / stock.xchng

Drying and Storing Garlic originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 01:01:54.

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A lot of us have been having damp or humid summers and while a little water is great, too much dampness for too long can cause all kinds of problems. Even the seemingly carefree plants, like clematis, can start acting up. Problems that take hold in June really start showing symptoms in July, so keep a close eye on your plants. If your clematis was blooming fine and now the stems & leaves are starting to look brown, it's probably not because they need more water. It could very easily be a case of clematis wilt, a fungus disease that loves damp foliage and humid weather. The good news is that it doesn't attack the clematis roots. The bad news is that all affected portions will need to be cut back. Here are some tips for avoiding and controlling clematis wilt.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Clematis Plant Looking Brown? Don't Add Water. originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 01:01:42.

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What are you doing indoors at the computer? Now is the time to be shopping for great deals at the nursery. Gardeners should be able to find some steals at this time of year. The nurseries need to get rid of inventory to make way for fall plants and the increasingly early holiday merchandise.

The same advice holds for selecting healthy plants mid-season, as at the beginning of the season. In addition, plants at this time of year may have suffered a bit more stress. That's why it's better to shop at a reputable nursery. You want plants that have been watered and cared for, even at half price.

Here are some tips for buying mid-season marked down plants:

• Check the plants for resident insects and disease and die back from lack of water. These you can pass by.
• A pot with lots of weeds in it hasn't been well cared for.
• Lanky growth and pot bound roots will correct themselves in the ground.
• Don't be afraid to buy trees at this time of year either. Perennials and deciduous trees are going to loss their current leaves come fall anyway. So if they are growing reasonably well, they should do fine with your TLC.
• Give new plants plenty of water, but don't feed them right away. Let the roots make themselves at home before forcing new growth.

Those of you in warmer Zones or the Southern Hemisphere are probably going to have to pay full price right now, but you'll be getting fresh, new stock and probably new varieties we northerners are only seeing in magazines. Where ever you are, get the gardening juices flowing with a visit to the nursery.

Gardening Alert: Now is the Time to Shop for Deals At the Nursery! originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 01:01:56.

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With summer squash, it's either feast or famine. Summer squash, which includes zucchini, yellow straight and crookneck and the flying saucer-shaped pattypan, is usually thought of as prolific. Who doesn't have a story about leaving bags of zucchini on your neighbor's back step under cloak of darkness? But these same enthusiastic yielders can be frustratingly slow to get it in gear. Squash plants produce both male and female flowers and they tend to start off the season by producing a lot of male flowers only. So it can seem like your plants are getting ready to set fruit, but the flowers just fall off and leave you with nothing. Be patient. Once the plant is strong enough to support growing fruits, the female blossoms will appear and get the job done.

The term summer squash was coined because these squash varieties aren't good for long term storage. Their short shelf life and perpetual harvest means you'll need a lot of good squash recipes. If you'd care to share your favorite, I'm sure it would be more than welcome. It's summer squash season.

• Growing Summer Squash
• Squash Vine Borer
• Squash Bug

Zucchini Recipes

• Zucchini alla Scapece (with Mint and Breadcrumbs)
• Grilled Zucchini
• Mom's Prize-Winning Zucchini Casserole
• Zucchini Ki Bhaji (Stir-fried Zucchini)

Photo: kyra / stock.xchng

Summer Squash Season originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 01:03:45.

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