August 3, 2009

Vampire Protection

The garlic has been harvested on August 2nd so it's safe to say that no vampires have been seen in the garden. I planted it last October so it definitely is a crop you have to have patience with. It had great big heads this year and a huge crop so I think we'll be eating garlic until next year's harvest. I have it drying in the shed on racks and will hang it in the basement later. I let the soil dry on them for a few days then just brush it off before I store them. I think it helps them last longer that way rather than hosing all the dirt off when you dig them up. That's the other pointer is to make sure you dig them up not pull them up because the stem will break off and you'll end up leaving your garlic in the ground.

2 comments:

garden girl said...

Your garlic looks great! I planted garlic last fall for the first time, and was dissapointed with the size of them when I dug them at the end of July. My veggie bed is less than full sun (about 5 hours a day,) and I cut the scapes late. I'll try another planting this fall and make sure I cut the scapes earlier. I hope that will help them size up a bit more next time in spite of the lack of sun.

Rachel said...

Sounds like you did everything right. I too only have about 5 hours of sun in the garden. I planted them in late September and they we're getting green shoots by late October. I did cover them with about 4 inches of leaves in late November. The insulation may have helped them to grow longer.