Sunday, August 16, 2009

2009's Garlic Harvest

I have been growing garlic for many years.
Last September I planted 90 cloves and I harvest 89 heads this year.
After I planted the cloves last year, I slowly covered the bed with leaves, to insulate them during the winter. After all the leaves are in the bed, I cover the bed with bird netting, so the leaves will not blow away and to keep cats out of it.
In the spring, as it warms up, I slowly take the leaves out of the bed. All the garlic shoots are yellow and quickly turn green.
After all the leave are off, I feed the bed with blood meal, then I put a layer of compost over the whole bed. Then I put shredded leaves in the bed as a mulch.
When there are only 4 green leaves left, I harvest the garlic.
Since we had a wet season, I'm letting the garlic dry for three weeks.
After the garlic is dry, I save 90 cloves for next years crop, which I'll plant the second week of September.