Stop by Daphe's Dandelions today to see what other gardeners are sharing this Harvest Monday. Our harvests are listed in the very last paragraph of this post.
This is our first year growing garlic, so we don't really know what to expect. From what other bloggers have written, we're gathering that our little plants are coming in very early. Should we be surprised? Probably not. The weatherman is forecasting 70 degree highs and 40 degree lows next week! I actually had to water them today!
We planted Aglio Rosso, Khabar, Siberian, Silver White and St. Helens. 4 of the five varieties have an almost 100% germination rate. Khabar has so far had about 80%.
We haven't posted for a while. We've been slowed down by the flu. C. James got it today. Here he is with his brother watching an episode of something. The only time he ever lets his brother play with his hair is when he's too sick to do anything about it!
We've been able to do a heavy soil amendment of the main garden this late winter. We put down about 2 inches of composted horse manure and another inch or so of ground up tree limbs and bark. We need more acid in our soil. We're hoping this, together with a heavy dose of food grade sulfur, will give good results. The dark garden looks great, but the whole thing will be useless, until we find a way to get it all turned in with the soil below. That's a lot of shoveling! Maybe Jane could share her tractor for a day!
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| The area behind the lower fence is an addition this year. The whole area is about 30'x50' |
Happy gardening, especially as spring draws near!
Your garlic is growing just perfectly! Don't be afraid of the frost as it's hardy enough to survive it for one night. Only when it gets below 20 for a week at the time then you need something to protect it. if the weather stays in 70's then I'd recommend to remove black cover because it will get too warm and will bolt into bloom instead of growing nice bulb.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comment. It's very helpful. We removed the black plastic this morning!
DeleteYour garlic looks about the same as mine (planted last October), so I'd say it's right on time. I had to move mine into the new garden plot, so I cut back the tops. They were probably about 8" before they got clipped.
ReplyDeleteDo you think we should clip ours too? Will it help the bulbs bulk up?
DeleteNo, I'd leave them be. I had to transplant mine, due to the garden move, which may or may not result in decent garlic bulbs. I just figured the tops would probably die back some and new growth would soon emerge, so I helped them along a bit. That's how I plant my onions, so I thought it might work with garlic as well. I also clipped the roots a bit, just so they could spread out in the planting holes.
DeleteWe will let well enough alone then.
DeleteYour garlic looks great! You don't have to 'turn that in' and shovel your garden! In fact many people say that plowing and inverting the soil layers as in turning over a shovel full of soil is bad for the soil. I have a four tine cultivator and have begun just using that to work things into the top layer of soil. Earthworms and rain will do the rest. In TX on sugar sand I mostly just sheet mulched. Here in the desert with concrete like caliche clay I do like to double dig to start off, but now am working towards just adding things to the top of the soil and not digging all the time.
ReplyDeleteMary, thanks so much for the helpful thoughts. We did what you're recommending last year in a smaller area. You're right, the rain over the year blended everything together. The plants grew amazingly too! This time I'm less certain, because I would be planting directly into wood chips only half composted. I'm just not sure there's enough substance there to give seeds the root base they need to grow well. Maybe a 4 tine cultivator would solve my dillema!
DeleteJody, if you are worried about the wood chips robbing nitrogen, then either add them last, on top as a mulch, or add some extra manure or blood meal. Put a big of finished compost around transplants when you put them in or use some to cover seeds when you plant them. Things will probably work out better than you think.
DeleteThanks Mary. This is very helpful stuff.
DeleteYour garlic looks just like ours! So either both of us newbie garlic growers are doing something wrong, or we are both on the right track. I was not expecting it to have grown so much this early in March, so I am glad to see that mine is not just being weird.
ReplyDeleteHope you all feel better soon!
I think we're on the right track. I've been worried about the garlic too, thinking it was early and all. Your comment is a helpful relief.
DeleteThe garlic looks great! I pulled the straw off mine this weekend. I figured garlic is used to the cold temps and at this point there isn't too much that could severely hurt them, but who knows I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteYour garlic looks about the same as mine does. I think it's right on time.
ReplyDeleteI hope that C James feels better soon!
I'm just loving this warm weather! Happy Spring!
Sorry to hear about the little one. I hope he bounces back real soon, and no one else gets it. And your garlic is right on schedule. It is always up before asparagus, rhubarb, and even strawberries. It is one tough little bulb. And tractor house calls might be a great business idea !
ReplyDeleteI think tractor calls are a perfect idea. How far is the Cumberland Valley from your place in Ohio anyway?
DeleteI am in PA. I live about 30 miles north/west of Pittsburgh. So my tractor house calls might need to be to the west part of PA. We will need to subcontract to central PA ;)
DeleteThat's right. I remember now. We get out that way occasionally. Could we visit you sometime?
DeleteYou have to love the fact that you are planting veggies already. I love cold frames!! We put in more lettuce this week!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great!
DeleteRemoved most of the mulch from my garlic and they are coming along nicely, yours look great.
ReplyDeleteWe removed the plastic and most of the mulch today too. I think it will be beneficial.
DeleteI'm about to order my garlic for planting in April. Yours is looking great, I hope you get some lovely big heads.
ReplyDeleteYour garlic looks like it is doing splendidly. Mine have been growing like crazy this year and seem very happy. Hopefully they will keep up the happy growth and give me a particularly nice crop this year. :D
ReplyDeleteSorry the flu bug has hit your household. Nasty stuff.
I've never planted garlic from seed. I can see that I must try this! I love what you're doing with your soil. Yours is different from ours so it's interesting to read about. Still, we all seem to have to work to improve what we've got.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you all have been sick. That's never any fun. Hopefully everyone is on the mend.
Leigh, I misspoke about the garlic. It didn't "germinate" from seed. We got bulbs from Filaree in Washington. But thanks for the vote of confidence, that we could do such a thing as that!
ReplyDeleteWe're running out of time here with our soil preparation work. We need to start planting stuff, but we've still got more amending work to do! We'll probably have to put some things off 'till the next lull in the season.
This was our first year for garlic too. (What a year to start with! lol!!) I pulled the mulch off of mine too and the shoots are looking a lot healthier now that I've done so. They are getting so big! I hope you all get to feeling better. My little guy was sick this week too. It's no fun having them sick when it is so beautiful out.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Hope you have heaps of garlic this year. Hope your dear boy get well soon.
ReplyDelete