Even though I still had to add some ammenments to the soil, I wanted to plant my garlic before Thanksgiving. Fall is the best time to plant garlic. Ideally I want to get good root growth, but no top growth before winter. Waiting until spring to plant garlic will greatly reduce the bulb size at harvest time.
I bought my garlic from Dave piedmonte of Piedmonte Garlic Farm located in Holley New York. I chose the variety German extra hardy because it grows well here on Long Island, has large firm cloves, and tastes great! It also lasts for months in my kitchen without drying out.
To plant, separate the cloves from the bulb. Each bulb will produce 6 new garlic palnts. I planted the individual cloves, tip side up, about 6 inches apart. I placed the cloves in a furrow about 2 inches deep and covered them with soil. I then mulched the cloves with several inches of leaves. In the spring I will remove the mulch and look for the bright green tops to appear. Then I will fertilize with fish emulsion three times before harvesting the new bulbs around the 4th of July. After much preparation, it was good to finally plant something in the ground and even though it will be months before I harvest the first bulbs, I know it will be worth the wait!
Cost:
$16.00 ($8.00 per pound)
Last time I tried to use garlic I used way too much and nearly choked my husband, maybe I shall try again.
ReplyDeletehahaha Ally is cracking me up with that one....but she chopped it instead of mincing it in a press!! So funny! Mom is it really bad to store garlic in the fridge? hmmm
ReplyDeleteI still have garlic left from the summers harvest and it is sooooooo goood! I keep it in a basket in my garage. Can you put red pepper over any bulbs you dont want the squirrels to eat? Do you dilute the fish emulsion?
ReplyDeleteProperly cured garlic will remain fresh for up to eight months if it is stored in a cool, dry place. I store my garlic in a basket in the kitchen, but I think it is o.k. to keep it in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you can sprinkle red pepper flakes around any bulbs that you are planting. I just learned this trick recently and so far so good!
I use Neptunes fish emulsion and yes I dilute it because it is concentrated. The directions are printed on the label.