Cayuga, we usually harvest in early June, let it hang in the barn until completely dry, and then bring into the kitchen. Our garlic, on the left, compared to grocery garlic. It's a hard neck variety, which does well here. Gail, considering the amount of garlic we consume, our immune systems should be impervious to almost any attack!
We planted garlic in mid-October, and it is showing small green shoots now. I'll put more compost on the rows, and then leave it alone during the winter. I'm hoping for a good harvest next spring. As Saimoli said, you can never have too much garlic!
Oh, I wish that we could grow garlic here as we once did; however, with the climate change, it is now far too wet. They just rot in the ground.
Sjoerd, how about growing in a large pot? The community gardeners here do that--they don't want their small plots dedicated to garlic for such a long time (Oct. to June) so they put the cloves in a large pot and set it in the pathway. You'd get proper drainage, and the pot doesn't need to be deep--12" to 15" seems to be the depth of the ones in the community garden.
Cayu and Jane--I do not have a raised bed at the moment. I may well do later on. Thanks for the container tip Jane. I never considered doing that. It is something that I would have to plan, considering our shortage of space.
Shortage of space???!!! I have been green with envy over how huge your lottie is!!!! But you are speaking like a true gardener:. There is never enough space, is there?
Hee,hee,hee...too right, you have me there. However in my own defence, I do have to point out that I plan everything out well in advance and every space is in fact spoken for as crops rotate. The Bride has asked for more room a few times, but I simply cannot give up my flowering plants. There is never enough space to do everything that I would like, but a couple of years ago we decided to downsize and gave up one garden (we had two). Yes, we had one whole garden just for the Food Bank. It was in the end too much work---that was 365 ² m.
Sjoerd, I sympathize with you giving up your food bank garden. Our two large gardens are now fallow since the local food bank can't accept home-grown produce. I understand why they can't as a safety measure, but I sure miss pulling up with a couple of baskets of fresh produce and having people eager to help me unload and get it inside. We considered just leaving it in the truck, parked outside the food bank, and distributing it ourselves, but decided that opened us up to too many possible problems. Our large garden in back of the barn supplies us with all we can use, and then some, which goes to friends that don't garden. Half (or more) of the fun of gardening is sharing!
I am totally surprised Jane, but thanks for your sympathy. I am reading-in that there is a chance of lawsuits. It seems that it has come to the point that folks cannot help eachother out of fear of being sued. Oh, I find that so terrible. Luckily we haven't come that far over here yet...and I really hope that we do not. Oh Jane, I find it such a shame. I am very sad to learn this news from you.
I agreed. That sounds crazy. Ridiculous. Ah me. So sorry things fell out that way MG. And I agree, half the fun of growing stuff is giving it away. Sjoerd:. Estoy confundido! Does 365 squared meters mean an allotment 365 by 365 meters? Or is it 19 by 19 meters? I am trying to visualize this.
