This past Sunday we harvested our garlic patch (about 100 - both the number of garlic bulbs and the outside temperature) and planted in their place sweet peas, two more lettuce varieties, and a fifth patch of basil - all in just under one half hour. In that short thirty minutes or so, we drenched our clothing with sweat, several times over - all by 10am. All the while talking about how we'll install an outdoor garden shower next year! The tomato plants have become jungle-like, I keep expecting to find a lost dog or cat hidden within their tangled stems and leaves. The soil in the garlic bed was teaming with worms, every square inch I swear! And we've spotted a happy garter snake in the ground cherry patch. The deer have been eating all the wonderfully sweet cucumber blossoms, but left the rest of the garden alone for a while. We're holding our breath, I'm sure they'll strike just as we go out to harvest that first perfectly ripened tomato. Triplets and their protective mother live in our backyard - I just keep smiling and secretly calling them "Christmas Dinner 2011, '12, and '13" We've got the garlic and rosemary to go with them!
Monday, July 18, 2011
GARLIC HARVEST!
This past Sunday we harvested our garlic patch (about 100 - both the number of garlic bulbs and the outside temperature) and planted in their place sweet peas, two more lettuce varieties, and a fifth patch of basil - all in just under one half hour. In that short thirty minutes or so, we drenched our clothing with sweat, several times over - all by 10am. All the while talking about how we'll install an outdoor garden shower next year! The tomato plants have become jungle-like, I keep expecting to find a lost dog or cat hidden within their tangled stems and leaves. The soil in the garlic bed was teaming with worms, every square inch I swear! And we've spotted a happy garter snake in the ground cherry patch. The deer have been eating all the wonderfully sweet cucumber blossoms, but left the rest of the garden alone for a while. We're holding our breath, I'm sure they'll strike just as we go out to harvest that first perfectly ripened tomato. Triplets and their protective mother live in our backyard - I just keep smiling and secretly calling them "Christmas Dinner 2011, '12, and '13" We've got the garlic and rosemary to go with them!
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Be sure to check out our summer blog - http://summerabcs.blogspot.com/.
Deer recently ate one of my potted plants. I hate them! How are you going to store all that garlic? Is CRV going to dig a root cellar?
SO glad you're blogging again. You have a talent for it, and I love reading your blog. Inspire me!
Could you give me an idea of how much space you used to produce that much garlic? I want to plant some next year.
We planted about 100 garlic cloves in a raised bed that is about 6' x 8'. That's it. Plant them about 4-6 inches deep, then cover with about 6-10 inches of mulched leaves. Depending on where you live, plant in mid-late October then forget about them until mid-July of the following year! Gently dig up, dry for about 8 weeks in a cool, shaded place (we use our garden shed out front, but you can easily use a garage or basement room), hanging about 5-6 bulbs at a time tied together with garden twine, hung on nails about 12 inches apart per bundle. Then, in early September, we cut off the roots and long dead leaves and bring them inside to the basement for storage in our laundry room, the coolest room in our home. Good luck!
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