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| November 9th, 2008 |
Even though I will not be selling produce at any of my markets in 2009 and I will not be growing for the the CSA either, I could not resist getting some garlic in before the ground freezes. I saved some of the garlic from what I harvested this year. This is the first time I've done that. Usually, I end up buying seed because I never save any of my own. I didn't plant much this year, but it will still be nice to have some to harvest next summer.
I planted two varieties that performed the best and I happen to like them. They are Elephant and Red Russian. Both are large varieties. Elephant garlic is overlooked most of the time because it is assumed flavorless. It is mild, but I think it is nice in stir fries, soups or any dish you want to have a subtle garlic flavor in the background...and it's known for roasting. Red Russian has a stronger flavor, more like garlic commonly used everyday. The heads are massive and there aren't very many cloves per head.
Garlic must be planted before the ground gets too cold or freezes. I always find the most difficult part of planting garlic is just getting the ground prepared with enough compost and/or manure. Garlic is a heavy feeding crop if you want it to produce nicely. There's nothing worse than digging your crop in the summer and finding wimpy, stubby heads of garlic attached to attractive green tops that you've been watching grow since early spring. Getting the garlic to produce roots in the fall is essential. Therefore preparing the soil first is key. Then, in the early spring the shoots will take off like rockets. All this happens under a thick bed of mulch. Garlic must be mulched after planting to protect the bulbs over the winter. It also helps deter weeds for the growing season.
I'm going to try some companion planting with the garlic next season. Lettuce is one of the nice companions for garlic. It would be nice to get some calendula planted alongside the garlic, I'll have to look in to it's compatibility with garlic first. I never have luck with calendula...I guess I'll save that for a future blog entry.
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| September 24th, 2008 |
I wanted to try growing some patchouli as a test crop for this season. The photo below shows a small patch of "patch" of about 30 plants or so that I planted in June. I think there was a good amount of growth in one season, growing to about 2 feet or so. Since I planted them in a semi-shaded area it may be possible to get to 3 feet in a sunnier location if the season was good. I think being cool and wet this year it may have hindered growth. Patchouli being a tropical plant has it's limitations here in the north and would not likely reach flowering stage in one season i.e. 120 days. The plan is to distill essential oil of some herbs by next season, patchouli being a prime candidate. Some of the other possibilities are lemon verbena, lavender, basil and various mint cultivars. At this point I haven't done enough research to know if the patchouli must be in bloom before it is distilled. Right now I am doing herbal oil infusions with patchouli, lemon verbena, basil and others. These infusions are a great addition to soaps and balms to get the benefits these herbs can offer. I am drying a good portion of the patchouli leaves and I may offer them on the online store later in the year.
Pogostemon patchouli |
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| August 27th, 2008 |
Honey Bee on Zinnia
Borage Flowers
Okra Flower
Okra Row
 Red Zinnia
 Red Salvia |
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| May 26th, 2008 |
I finally managed to grow a good looking garlic crop. I planted quite a bit more than previous years. There are 4 or 5 varieties planted this year also. One of them has to be good! Garlic always tastes good but I think the soil is never good enough to get them to size up. It's hard to believe that the garlic harvest is only a month away or so. Here is a picture of this year's crop:
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| May 15th, 2008 |
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| Records 1 to 5 of 17 |
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