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Friday 16 November 2018

Here lies...garlic

My husband and I enjoy growing food in our small garden plot. We still have some of the grape tomatoes we grew this year and blanched kale in the deep freeze. 


This week, I finished the bed for garlic I’ve worked on this fall. My friend Lucy gave me some of her home grown garlic this past year and I am determined to grow some myself. Store bought garlic has no resemblance to the flavour of the garlic Lucy grows.


I cleared out a shrub and some irises from the designated spot and expanded it. Then I added soil, composted sheep manure and seaweed to the bed. Next came the three varieties of garlic cloves which I had from Lucy, including Music, my favourite. I covered the bed with seaweed and a thin layer of soil to prevent the seaweed

from blowing away with the high winds.


I hope this effort produces garlic next summer. Thus far however, it looks like I buried a body in the back yard.





37 comments:

DJan said...

Hahaha! I does look a bit like you buried a body. We have lots of garlic growers in our community garden. I tried one year but it wasn't all that great. I never heard of Music, though. Maybe I'll try to find some and plant it myself. :-)

Joanne Noragon said...

That's funny!
Laura helped a friend dig potatoes and then plant several hundred garlic bulbs. I wonder if she will carry one, or give it up as an adult. Well, at least she will know how.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Well at least you know the vampires will leave it alone Marie 😉 Not sure how long it takes but hopefully you will have a fine crop of garlic.

William Kendall said...

The traveling salesman was never seen again. :)

Shammickite said...

I do not have a veg garden, just a tiny area where I grow runner beans every year. No garden space where I live. I'm thinking of renting a plot in the community garden next year. Sadly there's not much Ontario grown garlic in the shops, it's mostly imported from China!

Tabor said...

Garlic has been very easy for Hubby to grow and I put up dozens and dozens of cloves in the freezer when I use up the dried ones.

Debbie said...

hehehe, it does look like a buried body!! i did not know that home grown garlic had a different / better flavor but it makes sense. i LOVE garlic, not the hubs. i would love to try it out in one of my pots, but i don't know anyone who grows it to get a starter bulb!!

Bill said...

What really lurks beneath that soil? Garlic, you say, I guess we'll find out if you're telling the truth come springtime. :)

Silver Willow said...

Okay, I really laughed about the buried body. LOL Good luck with the garlic!

Elephant's Child said...

I hope that buried body is excellent fertiliser for the garlic.
And home grown anything tastes better.

Mage said...

No more iris? Are you staying warm in the snow/

Rick (Ratty) said...

I hope the garlic turns out good. It does look like a grave. At a place I worked my boss had two big oblong boxes he kept promotional items in. I used to tell new people that they were coffins.

Anvilcloud said...

My goodness, you're all set for next year! I'm still catching up to 2015.

Rhodesia said...

I find garlic very up and down never the same from one year to the next. I tried ginger this year which I have just havested and it taste amazing. Keep well Diane

Sandy said...

LOL...it does look like you buried a body. Bet your neighbors are wondering what's going on. Good luck with the garlic, hope it works for you. Why seaweed? Is that like a fertilizer?

Marie Smith said...

There is so much flavour in Music, Jan, a little goes a long way!

Marie Smith said...

That’s a good skill for Laura to have, Joanne. One can grow a surprising amount of food in a small garden plot.

Marie Smith said...

I will be able to harvest the garlic next July, Grace.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. True, William.

Marie Smith said...

The community garden is popular here too, Shammi.

Marie Smith said...

I’ve never frozen garlic, Tabor. Thanks for the tip.

Marie Smith said...

Garden centers can help, Debbie.

Marie Smith said...

Thank you, SW.

Marie Smith said...

Home grown is so worth the effort, EC.

Marie Smith said...

The irises are out front, Mage.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. Good one, Ratty.

Marie Smith said...

All set for garlic, AC, that’s all.

Marie Smith said...

I don’t know anyone who grows ginger here, Diane. Interesting.

Marie Smith said...

I used the seaweed as a fertilizer in the soil and as mulch on top, Sandy. It was a free natural fertilizer for our ancestors and many home gardeners use it today.

Anonymous said...

I planted garlic a few times in the fall, to harvest in early summer (depending on the type)...I used an Italian purple garlic. I bought it from a seed company and then after I just used one of my garlics from that crop for the next year's planting. It is easy and fun to plant and tastes so good! Andrea

Debbie said...

thanks marie, i will try that, i have a great garden center close by that i adore. sorry about your bird feeder, i'm sure you are disappointed!!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, your neighbors may wonder if it is a dead body. Good luck with your garlic, hubby and I love garlic. I never thought about growing garlic. Enjoy your day!

Shammickite said...

My dad always carried lots of seaweed up from the beach to use as fertiliser, but I wonder if the salt had any effect on the soil.

Jenn said...

I look forward to an update! I love using garlic and would even attempt to grow it lol!

Catarina said...

It looks pretty suspicious..
Hope you can enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

jenny_o said...

Do you have to wash the seaweed before using it? I would think the salt would be a problem otherwise.

I hope your garlic grows well with its "special" fertilizer (the body, of course) and you enjoy it next summer!

Danielle L Zecher said...

Haha, it does look you buried a body. I wonder what the neighbors think. I've never tried growing garlic, so I'll be interested in reading about your experince with it. I LOVE garlic!