Comments on: The new year begins here! http://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/ Daily photo-journal of organic market gardening: growing local food with two acres and some tools...! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:18:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike (tfb)http://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114601 Mike (tfb) Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:17:52 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114601 <p>I've never used leaves for mulch, but shredded leaves should work great on garlic and elsewhere. Shredding and using as mulch is a common thing to do with leaves, along with composting them, which mulching will be kinda doing at the same time. I have used <a href="http://tinyfarmblog.com/index.php?s=grass+mulch" rel="nofollow">mowed and dried grass as mulch</a>, on garlic and elsewhere, and that worked out really well. Cycling "lawn" type residue into the garden is always interesting!</p> I’ve never used leaves for mulch, but shredded leaves should work great on garlic and elsewhere. Shredding and using as mulch is a common thing to do with leaves, along with composting them, which mulching will be kinda doing at the same time. I have used mowed and dried grass as mulch, on garlic and elsewhere, and that worked out really well. Cycling “lawn” type residue into the garden is always interesting!

]]> By: Stevehttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114579 Steve Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:16:51 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114579 Just yesterday I planted a dozen garlic cloves (in a container) for next year.  After reading your post I think I'll get outside and plant another dozen or two in some of the under-utilized beds. Thanks for the motivation! Steve. Just yesterday I planted a dozen garlic cloves (in a container) for next year.  After reading your post I think I’ll get outside and plant another dozen or two in some of the under-utilized beds.
Thanks for the motivation!
Steve.

]]> By: Mike (tfb)http://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114239 Mike (tfb) Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:35:18 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114239 <p>Sorry, Deborah, but I really don't have any experience with fruit and nut trees, and the pests that can go with them—that's soooo exotic from here in Ontario: tangerines and pistachios! And I haven't had any tunneling pest problems, either. Your situation sounds like a bit of a warzone...like the deer situation I hear about from Vancouver Island... Knock on wood! :) </p> Sorry, Deborah, but I really don’t have any experience with fruit and nut trees, and the pests that can go with them—that’s soooo exotic from here in Ontario: tangerines and pistachios! And I haven’t had any tunneling pest problems, either. Your situation sounds like a bit of a warzone…like the deer situation I hear about from Vancouver Island… Knock on wood! :) 

]]> By: Gail Younghttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114235 Gail Young Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:21:03 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114235 Thanks Mike ! for your very helpful response...   This past season I grew a purple stripe hardneck that I bought  last fall from a local organic farm.... unknown variety.    I ordered several  varities of hard neck from Boundary Farms in B.C. and one soft neck called Chet's Italian Red.     From what I have read, am I correct,  that soft necks do not produce scapes?   I loved cooking with the scapes.  This has been a fun and learning growing experience for me  and I am looking forward to harvesting quite a bit more next summer. Do mowed  gathered leaves make a good mulch?  We have a lot of trees on our 2/3rd of an acre property.   Cheers, Gail     Thanks Mike ! for your very helpful response…   This past season I grew a purple stripe hardneck that I bought  last fall from a local organic farm…. unknown variety.   
I ordered several  varities of hard neck from Boundary Farms in B.C. and one soft neck called Chet’s Italian Red.     From what I have read, am I correct,  that soft necks do not produce scapes?   I loved cooking with the scapes. 
This has been a fun and learning growing experience for me  and I am looking forward to harvesting quite a bit more next summer.
Do mowed  gathered leaves make a good mulch?  We have a lot of trees on our 2/3rd of an acre property.
 
Cheers,
Gail
 
 

]]> By: Mike (tfb)http://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114220 Mike (tfb) Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:54:04 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114220 <p>Garlic likes well-fertilized soil with lots of organic matter, not compacted, well-drained—the usual great conditions that most garden veggies thrive in! As for timeframe, I've been planting quite late, around very end of October, into mid-November. What you're going for is two things:</p> <ul> <li>the roots to start establishing, but the tops not emerging to get zapped by...winter</li> <li>a cold dormancy period, which is handled by the freezing winter!</li> </ul> <p>So you can figure your timing from there. By fall, the cloves are ready to go and put out roots really quickly, in days. So if they're in way early, and it happens to be warm into December, you could get too much growth. And, don't forget to MULCH WELL - I didn't for the first time last winter, and learned first hand at least one good reason why you should! :) (Many of the cloves pushed right up out of the ground, roots and all, during spring thaw-refreeze cycles. Darn!)Anyhow, as you've discovered, garlic is about that easy! There are also good garlic specialty sites online if you want a ton of growing details. There's a lot of advice out there, but as you've seen from your Year 1, experiencing for yourself by experimenting with the basics often works best. The real basics is most of it: plants just wanna grow!Oh, I've always only grown Music, a hardneck. It's certainly fun experimenting— absolutely do!—but I also like to go for tried and true because I'm growing for market. And I've read that softneck is not as suited to our Canadian climate as is hardneck...Hope that helps!</p> Garlic likes well-fertilized soil with lots of organic matter, not compacted, well-drained—the usual great conditions that most garden veggies thrive in! As for timeframe, I’ve been planting quite late, around very end of October, into mid-November. What you’re going for is two things:

  • the roots to start establishing, but the tops not emerging to get zapped by…winter
  • a cold dormancy period, which is handled by the freezing winter!

So you can figure your timing from there. By fall, the cloves are ready to go and put out roots really quickly, in days. So if they’re in way early, and it happens to be warm into December, you could get too much growth. And, don’t forget to MULCH WELL – I didn’t for the first time last winter, and learned first hand at least one good reason why you should! :) (Many of the cloves pushed right up out of the ground, roots and all, during spring thaw-refreeze cycles. Darn!)

Anyhow, as you’ve discovered, garlic is about that easy! There are also good garlic specialty sites online if you want a ton of growing details. There’s a lot of advice out there, but as you’ve seen from your Year 1, experiencing for yourself by experimenting with the basics often works best. The real basics is most of it: plants just wanna grow!

Oh, I’ve always only grown Music, a hardneck. It’s certainly fun experimenting— absolutely do!—but I also like to go for tried and true because I’m growing for market. And I’ve read that softneck is not as suited to our Canadian climate as is hardneck…

Hope that helps!

]]> By: Gail Younghttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114206 Gail Young Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:30:09 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-114206 Heading into my 2nd year of planting garlic. I have learned a lot this past summer and am now experimenting with 4 types of Hard Neck and 1 Soft Neck.     I live in  south central Ontario on the eastern shore of  Lake Simcoe..   My garlic bed is   almost ready to plant.  I h ave two questions Should I add bone and blood meal to the soil now ?    We are just ending a unusually warm spell and our temperatures are now about 10 C in the early morning and will be becoming cooler over the next week.   I am still uncertain on the planting time frame and how warm or cool it should be.   Is it better to plant too early than too late. Can you provide any advice for me     Regards   Gail Heading into my 2nd year of planting garlic. I have learned a lot this past summer and am now experimenting with 4 types of Hard Neck and 1 Soft Neck.     I live in  south central Ontario on the eastern shore of  Lake Simcoe..   My garlic bed is   almost ready to plant.  I h ave two questions
Should I add bone and blood meal to the soil now ?    We are just ending a unusually warm spell and our temperatures are now about 10 C in the early morning and will be becoming cooler over the next week.   I am still uncertain on the planting time frame and how warm or cool it should be.   Is it better to plant too early than too late. Can you provide any advice for me  
 
Regards
 
Gail

]]> By: Mike (tfb)http://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-108683 Mike (tfb) Sun, 03 Apr 2011 01:54:49 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-108683 <strong>Mark:</strong> I've planted at most 3,000-4,000 cloves a season, which is a LOT less than a half-acre. This chart will answer your question: <a href="http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veg_info/garlic_planting_rate_guide.htm" rel="nofollow">Garlic Planting Rate Guide</a>. Mark: I’ve planted at most 3,000-4,000 cloves a season, which is a LOT less than a half-acre. This chart will answer your question: Garlic Planting Rate Guide.

]]> By: Mark Whitehttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-108584 Mark White Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:09:28 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-108584 I know this post has long since past, but my friend and I want to grow garlic! We want to grow about a half acre worth.  Can you tell me how much we need to buy and the potential yeild for that amount? Thank you very much. I know this post has long since past, but my friend and I want to grow garlic! We want to grow about a half acre worth.  Can you tell me how much we need to buy and the potential yeild for that amount? Thank you very much.

]]> By: Deborahhttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-95577 Deborah Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:25:37 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-95577 Looking at the lovely color of the soil in your picture, I can assume you are not in my area. Here (north San Diego county) I have typical sandy soil, rather lackig nutrients. My orange, grapefruit, pistacio, and macadmia do well, as long as watered constantly. My biggest problem is the ground squirrels and gophers; the place is like Swiss cheese. I was wonderig if planting garlic under the trees would help in eliminating the pests. Do you have fewer/none of the underground pests in the garlic area? I have seen where garlic is used to deter insects..... maybe rodents as well, I ask hopefully? I do not use insecticides, poisons, etc due to the ravens, crows, hawks, vultures, and coyotes in the area. But the trapping and shooting is not making a dent in the population since I am surrounded by acres of open land. I have planted gopher purge which was a bust. Since here we have 100 degree + days garlic may fare better under a tree rather than in the open. I realize I am grasping at straws, but would appreciate any suggestions on getting the pests away from my trees. I have lost one macadamia and a delightful super sweet Algerian tangerine from the roots being eaten. What I plant now I cage the hole before planting, but other trees are mature in the ground.       Thanks in advance for your time.   Looking at the lovely color of the soil in your picture, I can assume you are not in my area. Here (north San Diego county) I have typical sandy soil, rather lackig nutrients. My orange, grapefruit, pistacio, and macadmia do well, as long as watered constantly. My biggest problem is the ground squirrels and gophers; the place is like Swiss cheese. I was wonderig if planting garlic under the trees would help in eliminating the pests. Do you have fewer/none of the underground pests in the garlic area? I have seen where garlic is used to deter insects….. maybe rodents as well, I ask hopefully? I do not use insecticides, poisons, etc due to the ravens, crows, hawks, vultures, and coyotes in the area. But the trapping and shooting is not making a dent in the population since I am surrounded by acres of open land. I have planted gopher purge which was a bust. Since here we have 100 degree + days garlic may fare better under a tree rather than in the open. I realize I am grasping at straws, but would appreciate any suggestions on getting the pests away from my trees. I have lost one macadamia and a delightful super sweet Algerian tangerine from the roots being eaten. What I plant now I cage the hole before planting, but other trees are mature in the ground.
      Thanks in advance for your time.  

]]> By: Shawnhttp://tinyfarmblog.com/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-34067 Shawn Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:43:41 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/11/02/the-new-year-begins-here/#comment-34067 Twosies grow twosies. Many cloves are actually two cloves but indistinguishable by looking at them. Growers generally cull these and make sure they don't end back in the seed stock. Nothing wrong with eating them. I plant mine the same depth (4") and 6" apart. Rows are 12-15 inches apart 3 rows to a bed with 100' rows. I generally sell approx 1/3 or more. I rotate my seed stock out or bring new seed stock in after 5 years.  I do have a variety I call a mutt thats been growing here for 10 years. I has huge heads and is generally my best producer. The MUsic variety is my best seller. People love them for roasting.   I have aprox 9 different varieties planted at the moment. Good record keeping will tell you what works and what doesn't. Good  post here Thanks Twosies grow twosies. Many cloves are actually two cloves but indistinguishable by looking at them. Growers generally cull these and make sure they don’t end back in the seed stock. Nothing wrong with eating them. I plant mine the same depth (4″) and 6″ apart. Rows are 12-15 inches apart 3 rows to a bed with 100′ rows. I generally sell approx 1/3 or more. I rotate my seed stock out or bring new seed stock in after 5 years.  I do have a variety I call a mutt thats been growing here for 10 years. I has huge heads and is generally my best producer. The MUsic variety is my best seller. People love them for roasting.   I have aprox 9 different varieties planted at the moment. Good record keeping will tell you what works and what doesn’t. Good  post here Thanks

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