A hint of spring

Hard to believe, since we had 4 inches of snow here in Atlanta just about a week ago, but today the thermometer is supposed to hit 65 degrees.  It's enough to give you spring fever, although of course chilly March is still ahead.  In 1993, we had our "blizzard of the century," with over 10 inches of ice and snow falling in the metro area on March 13.  So today's warm temps are just a tease.  Cold weather is bound to return before spring really, finally arrives.

Still, I'm already hearing birdsong outdoors and seeing the green shoots of bulbs appearing around my yard. I also seem to have a bumper crop of wild onions in the lawn this year, sigh...I don't mind going natural in the landscape, but the onions grow really fast and make the grass look scraggly.

Speaking of onions--this week I treated myself to a subscription to Organic Gardening magazine, which has a fairly new editor, I believe, and looks better than ever.  There's an article in this month's issue about grilling scallions, which are either young onions or a species called A. fistulosum, a perennial bunching type. They're nice plants, practically pest-free and resistant to diseases.

If you want to grow scallions from seed, you can start them indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the date of the average last-frost in your area.  Give them another 4-5 weeks to form a good root clump, then set the young scallions outside in rows 1 foot apart, spacing them every 8 inches.

Or you can start the seeds directly outdoors, sowing 1/2" deep in rows 1 foot apart, 3-4 weeks before the last frost in your region.  Thin them to an inch apart when the seedlings shoot up, and sow again every 3 weeks throughout the summer to have a steady supply.

Now here's the best part: eating them.  Organic Gardening recommends tying your picked scallions in bunches and drizzling them with a little oil before grilling them on your grill.  Put the bundles sideways on the grate, so they don't slip through into the coals.  Yum.  Guess I've jumped right from a touch of spring into summer, because nothing says "summer" like a outdoor cookout.