STARTING OUR 2012 FALL/WINTER VEGGIE GARDENS - PT. 2

Calalily -

I plant them about the same Honeybee, guess I was doing it right all along. I use my finger to make the hole, then pop in a clove, push the dirt in to fill around. This year I worked in neem cake and didn't have any pink rot. I had three rows, 42 ft long in a raised bed. I'm going to plant more this year.

Thanks, Guys!
I Googled a website for growing garlic in containers, and my Rubbermaid tubs will do nicely. I was surprised the recommended medium is SOIL-LESS potting mix, to avoid rotting in too-damp soil.

Your thumb/finger holes are spot on, and she says to plant the cloves 1" below the surface.

Here's the link:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-plant-garlic-in-contain-158494

I plant my garlic about 2" deep and then cover with mulch. Some guides suggest planting much deeper -- up to 6" -- but I think that may be more for climates where the ground actually freezes.

Mu bulbs don't stick up out of the soil at all.

I plant my garlic about 2" deep and about 3" - 4" apart.


http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growing.htm#anchorplanting

It gets down to -30 and sometimes -40 here in winter, so I plant my garlic 3" to 5" deep. This was my first year of growing garlic, and this fall I won't plant it in tires, as that really limits the space. They turned out big and beautiful though, with just the plain sandy soil. I grew the German hard neck. I've ordered a different kind to plant with my own bulbs this time. I'm surprised they don't grow garlic commercially here. If I was a big-time farmer, I think I would. Thank you all for advice, that's encouraging and very helpful!

There was this commercial where the Father was standing in the window watching his two teenagers outside shillings snow. As he sips his hot cocoa, he looks at his wife next to him and says, "what?" "I'm not going out there."

Sort of how I felt as I watched the veggies slowly get more and more limp in the heat today. I just couldn't get out in those sweltering temps.

So, I watched the Olympics until it cooled off some. Then, I went out and watered really well, cleaned up fallen leaves from the beds, discovered three long white eggplants I've never grown before, and, since I was on a roll, I turned the compost cans.

After that my chest was pounding hard, so I dragged myself in to the A/C.

Oh, I also made additional plant labels for the multiple seedlings I have coming up. I put at least two seeds in each cell, and looks like most all of them came up. And, I just can,t bear to destroy a perfectly good seedling.

Thas' all folks!!!

Linda, you must be related to Mark! He doesn't like it when I thin seedlings and discard the "losers". LOL I told him we don't have enough for 10,000 of anything in the garden!

Wow, so much info! I am so envious of your growing season, I'm going to need your help for a raised bed for next year Linda or anyone else remember I live in Montreal and fall and winter can come in a flash. Can you grow garlic now in your zones? I'm still trying to grow it unsuccessfully for a few years.

Thanks, sharon

It's still wayyy too hot here to plant garlic. We plant in the fall, late Sept or October.

Wow, I feel like I'm in the middle of a private conversation! So I'll just jump in. I was going to ask about garlic, but reading your various methods I think like Solace and maybe Honeybee I have to plant in early fall, plant deep and cover. It gets too cold here for container planting for garlic, so I'm surprised Solace that it worked in tires. I've heard the German hard neck is supposed to be the best.
Any other advice on garlic?
Sharon

Solace, where did you order your garlic from? Do they ship to Cananda?
Thx
S

Thanks for the link Linda. Trying to keep up, but I'm still in semi-planning stages. I have some catching up to do!

Hugabee, I ordered the Garlic from http://www.seedsavers.org I'm not sure if they ship to Canada, but I would guess they do.

Hugabee, the garlic was so pretty I had to stop myself from cooking with it until I finally got it in the ground, lol. When the scapes (curly things) get about a foot long, trim them off and you can chop them up and cook with them. They're delicious and taste like garlic. I let one stay, just to see what it would do and it made a seed head. Unfortunately, I harvested it when it was blooming, by accident so will forever wonder. When I removed the tires from the garlic patch yesterday, they were FILLED with earthworms! What a bonus. They must love that environment. I mulched the garlic after planting with grass clippings, since our winters are so cold here. Planted five per tire. I'm going to plant some that I harvested along with another kind I ordered (can't remember the name, but it's also a hardneck) outside and inside the greenhouse if I ever get it built. It's already getting chilly at night here- in the 40's last night...so I don't have much time to do a ton of things I need to do. I've started clearing for the beds that will (hopefully) be in the greenhouse, though. I cook a lot with garlic, no matter what the food, lol. Italian and Mexican food, mainly. What would the world be like without garlic and onions? Pretty bland, I'd say :)

Hi Solace,
Thanks for the info. Wow, where r u that it's getting chilly already? I thought Montreal was bad! I'm thinking 5" should work. They sell the curly scrapes here at the farmers market in late spring early summer. I understand they are quite delicious. I'm from a Lebanese background and garlic and onions are a staple! I just have to pick my spot. I'm thinking of planting them where I have some tomatoes growing. Do you add anything else to the soil? I really want to try again!
Thanks,
Sharon

hugobee, I'm in southern Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. The altitude here is 7,763 feet. Garlic & onions, yes, we are kindred spirits! :) I added some cheap potting soil from Family Dollar (all I had at the time) and mixed it into my sandy garden soil. I put chicken wire beneath the tires to prevent moles, although, I think they might be small enough to go through that, in retrospect. The soil here is very alkaline, so I'm surprised they did so well, without any correction of the ph. Perhaps they like alkalin soil? Who knew? I just mulched with the grass clippings so the snow and ice wouldn't be too hard on them, and when they came up I was excited. I watered them when they got dry, and later on not as much. I probably could have given them more water, but they seemed to develop nicely without more. I guess it depends on the weather, though, really. The sun's really a scorcher at this altitude. In fact, my son told me I probably wouldn't have to heat the greenhouse this winter. I'm preparing to, anyway, though. I found a way to heat it, with solar, without solar panels and with very little electricity (just a little fan) by heat exchange. I found it by accident - but are there really accidents where the Lord is concerned? Anyway, for you and my friends here, this is a great way to heat a greenhouse in the winter... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a62mZMIMpc0&feature=related

Garlic is a very forgiving plant soilwise, but doesn't like it's feet wet, I honestly bbelieve the sweeteners of the soil can change the garlic flavor intensity, but never set out to prove it... 7700' are you in Vail? Or the valleys on the way up? You could plant now if the nites are that cool, and 4" to 6" would be good- they'll grow in snow tho, but the ice will halt em a bit

We got almost 2" of rain last night and we have a chance of rain daily for the rest of the week. Woohoo!!

This morning, in the sweltering humidity, we planted our broccoli and cabbage. We'll see how that goes! The black eyed peas I planted a couple of weeks ago are doing great! The horribly hot temps we've had lately don't seem to have bothered them one bit.

Hurray for much needed rain. Your black eyed peas look great.

Steph,
Show a pic of your broccs and cabbage!

I would, but all you'd see is dirt! I direct sowed them. :)

That was my roundabout way of asking!!!!! LLLOLLLL!!!

^^_^^^^_^^ (me and Step doing the brassica dance!)

Linda ~ Where do you get the energy to dance?? I guess I am getting old (70) so not so much energy. I used to love to dance. My husband does not, and I don't have the energy to find a new one. LOL!!
Does your husband dance too?

Yeah, but his dancing amounted to bouncing. I don't bounce!

Here's an observation for ya'll:

Late yesterday evening, I went out to water my RB. I had read somewhere about putting a fabric softener sheet in your pocket to keep away mosquitoes. I tried it once before, and didn't think it worked. But, as I headed out, and remembering the Dallas, Tx. West Nile outbreak, I grabbed two sheets. I put one in my breast pocket, and one in my collar on the back of my neck.

I didn't so much as hear a buzz from a mosquito the whole time I was out there. Either they were taking a break, or it worked!

Hugs!

My turnips are coming up nicely (Hakeuri -- would love to switch to an OP but haven't found anything similar except a radish) and I seeded in some of the gaps just now. The carrots are starting to peek up.

The peas are up but not very happy. It's a bit hot for them yet but if they don't get a move on they won't fruit before we get a freeze. A few of the cabbage seedlings managed to survive the slugs and are 1" tall. The ones I started in pots the other day just sprouted.

I'm getting fall strawberries. ?! More than I got this spring, and this is a spring bearing variety. Ha! Even the birds aren't looking for them! But my dog loves strawberries and she found them -- and ate half before I could get her off them.

I'm also trying this thing I saw about regrowing celery from the base of a stalk. I'm surprised, but the base I put in water is actually growing leaves! I'll need to move it to a pot in a couple of days.

I can't wait to get home and try the celery. I saw the directions on my FB page. Nicole, what is your soil temp? Did you start the turnips outside? I will be starting seeds in Sept, when I get home and am always afraid it is just too hot.

If you sow the turnips and it's too hot out, they're just gonna sit there and sulk, and wait until the temps are to their liking before they come up...

Oh yes, I remember that happening before. Kohlrabi do the same thing.

So do beets and carrots! It's like they all get together and say, "We will NOT pop, until we're good and ready to -- it's too HOT outside!!"

Mark sowed a few beet seeds unbeknownst to me. They've sprouted!

What's the secret with celery? Is it good to sow it now?

My soil temp is about 92F right now in the raised beds. But we're having an exceptionally mild August. I think it was the hottest day of August do far and it was only 90F. We've been dipping into the low 70's and even 60's at night -- one day last week it was 61F! So I suspect those soil temps are going to start dropping soon.

Hakueri are sold as a "summer turnip." I don't think much of that statement from a seed company in Maine, but maybe it's more heat resistant? The plants look great -- about 4" tall and nicely leafy. And yes, I direct seeded them.

I have a volunteer beet out there, too. I haven't sown beets in that bed since spring 2011. And one radish has sprouted. I sowed them the 13th.

I have this theory that the seasons are shifting here. All of our seasons have been about 4 weeks early for the past year and a half. We're having September now. I'm sure we'll get another heat wave (or 2 or 3), but I think fall is about to turn the corner.

For those seeding in very hot weather, why don't you shred/cut up some grass clippings (so water can go through them when they mat) and lay loosely on your seeded rows. I did that a few days ago, when I planted hollyhocks and harebells to get them started before winter, and the sun was thwarted a little- enough to give them warmth but not dry out the seed bed or cook the seeds. They're happy little campers and a ton of them came up. I used very loosely strewn barley straw on each row. It helps to know where they're planted, too. Just a thought.

Tried the grass clippings once, never again. Even the squash seeds could not push up thru them. Plus we have burmuda grass and St. Augustine, both are "sprigged" to start new lawns. Every piece makes a new plant!

Yeah, you would need well dried rye grass for that- laid on too thick smothers everything under it, that's why farmers don't let mowed hay stay on the ground once dried. If you are growing garlic in a pot that is let's say, in your windowsill? You can set the clump on top of your soil and it will grow and root without being buried at all.

Ah.....I have bluegrass. I mulched the garlic bed with it, and they came out fine. I can see your dilemma, though cala, if the grass blades sprout. Straw hay is what I used in the potato bed, to mulch, and I want to take advantage of the sun's heat to help warm at night so plan to build beds with cement blocks, then do rock mulching, with probably small sandstone slabs and lava rock or straw hay between raised beds.

Speaking of potatoes... how long does it take the plants to start to form tubers? My plants are two months old now with healthy top growth, but peeking under the straw I don't see any sign of baby tubers. Granted, I didn't dig down too aggressively to get near the seed potato since I didn't want to disturb the plants too much, but I would think I'd see *something.*

90-100 days, I think. Either work with the DTMs, or notice when your plant tops begin to either blossom or start yellowing, withering, and/or dying back...

Oh they've been blooming for a while. I know I won't harvest until after the plants are dead 9or nearly dead), but you'd think these would take a while to grow... right?