Organic Garlic

2011-06-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

The garlic is close to harvesting for us. I took a few samples. Some areas have stayed wet while others are drying down. Depends on how thick the mulch is. So I watered in some areas. I am thinking it will be about one week to the start of harvest. It's ok to dry the garlic down a bit but not too much. Tomorrow's forecast calls for a high of 99.

2011-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

We are into the garlic season for 2011. You get out of garlic what you put into it. Weeds hinder growth so they can be the biggest culprit. We dodged a bullet the other day when the hail missed the garlic. Last year our garlic was cut up pretty bad because of the ice bullets. At this point in the season there should be no more fertilizing and pull back, if you can, on the watering. Letting the garlic dry down so that it is stressed seems to help the growth/size of the bulb.

2010-08-16T13:29:00.001-07:00

Now is a great time to plant a cover crop such as buckwheat or clover. Both of these crops will make great "green manure" for your soil. Once they bloom till them under.

2010-05-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Scapes on the Shantung Purple are emerging. Asiatics and Turbans will mature earlier than other varieties. At the end of May and we will stop fertilizing and pull back on the watering a bit.

2010-05-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Garlic is looking good. We will have around 50 varieties this 2010 season plus new samplers. Among a few hardy bulbs will be Chesnok Red purple stripe hardneck garlic, Russian Red hardneck garlic, German White hardneck porcelain garlic, Shantung Purple a hot softneck, Music porcelain a hardneck and one of our favorites.

2010-04-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our garlic is growing well. The tallest is around 20in. The smallest around 10in. We have had some warm spring days followed by cool downs. So far all is looking good. Got to keep up on the weeds and will lay down one more fertilizer before June.

2010-03-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

Yes, the garlic is really starting to pop. It is always a relief to see it break through the soil. I have already started weeding. With temps into the 60s the ground is warming nicely. So far haven't had to water once this winter because we have had enough snow.

2010-02-22T15:14:00.000-08:00

Even though winter can be a relaxed time when it comes to garlic we have to make sure that the garlic is receiving enough water.If they dry down too much we could have problems. We tend to get a lot of snow here in Colorado and if we could have a blanket of snow all winter long that would be wonderful. However, we have many dry days and when that happens the garlic needs to be watered. So make sure you check your garlic. If the soil isn't frozen dig down about 4-6 inches and simply squeeze the soil together. If it sticks together there is enough moisture and if doesn't then go ahead and water the cloves.

2010-01-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight we sauteed the hardneck Russian Red in EVOO with salt, pepper and threw in some spinach. Simple and tasty.

2010-01-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Winter has set in. We like all the snow and cold for the garlic but takes a bit of getting used to for ourselves. Before the real cold set in we had a few cloves pop. Put more leaves on top.

2009-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Now that the garlic is harvested we plant Buckwheat. It is a great green manure. After it flowers till it back into the soil.
We have started to ship garlic but it is taking longer for the garlic to cure as this past spring was very wet.

2009-08-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

We are in the waiting stage. The garlic is drying down. Some varieties are dry and now it is time for trimming up the roots and stems as well as cleaning up the bulb. I have been seperating the smallers bulbs and have starting eating some. Fresh garlic can't be beat! It's juicy and tasty. We have planted buckwheat in the small plot behind the house. Buckwheat is a green manure. After it blossoms till it into the soil. You can also use legumes, alfalfa, and other seed.

2009-07-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Pulled Music out today. Looking great. Here it is drying in the garlic tree.

2009-07-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Just harvested Russian Giant and Russian Red. Although, the Red turned out larger than the Giant. Wanted them to dry down a bit before we harvested but the rains keep coming about everyday. Had a few that rotted because too much rain but numbers are minimal. Interesting how garlic wrappers can change color from area to area. We put in Russian Red from the NE USA and the wrapper had a dark red color and at harvest it was white with splotches of red. Just happens. Different climates produce different results.

2009-06-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

harvested Asian Tempest and Korean Red and will harvest GA Crystal tonight. Cure for about 3-4 weeks and it's ready to eat.

2009-06-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Almost ready to harvest the Korean Red and Asian Tempest. Trying to let the garlic dry down a bit. Still getting rain almost everyday. It would be nice for it to dry down a bit. Seems a little stress helps to size up the bulbs. Don't want it dry too much.

2009-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

We are now open for Advanced Orders for 2009. Get your order in for garlic before July 1st and receive a bonus bulb! Crops are looking good!

2009-06-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

I dug around the Siberian and Korean Red. The cloves are forming. In the next 3-5 weeks they will really get going. We will cut back on the watering and all fertilizing has stopped at the beginning of June. It has been an odd spring in CO. Very wet and cool. Temps are below normal by about 5-10 degrees. Some days even more drastic swings.

2009-06-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

A whole mess of scapes. These are good eating. Throw them in a stew or stir-fry. Also, eat them raw or use like a green onion. Still pulling weeds. It has been a odd spring and so far early summer. The weather is cool and cloudy. We could use some heat. The porcelains like the heat. Although nice not to have to turn on the water.

2009-05-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

Scapes on the Porcelains have popped. We will stop fertilizing at this point. Water and weeding. We have about 2 inches of mulch down. Helps a lot to keep the weeds down.

2009-05-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

We have had a wet spring and mainly at this point keeping up with the weeds. Also, if we find a plant that is not growing as well as the others we will pull it just to keep any pest or disease out. We will be opening soon for Advanced Orders.

2009-04-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

We put bone meal down before this snow hit last night. You never can tell this time of year how the weather will turn. Fortunately the garlic has good roots down as you can see in this photo it is about 8-10 inches high. This photo is Romanian Red.

2009-03-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Two days ago we added a small amount of bonemeal to side dress the garlic. Colorado soil isn't the most nutrient rich soil and it takes a little help. We use bonemeal because it breaks down slower and we have found that the slower the nutrients absorb the more vigorous the plant. Watered the garlic afterwards but not much because the mulch is keeping the plants well moist. One thing about here is that we get a lot of sun.

2009-03-10T08:04:00.001-07:00

It is 10 degrees this morning and snow. Covered the garlic with leaves and should be alright. As well the garlic has a cover of snow.

2009-03-05T12:07:00.001-08:00

Added more mulch yesterday. The nights are below freezing and with several tips emerging and some already between an 1 and 2 inches thought it would be a good idea. Will need to foliar feed soon. There is some debate as to whether it helps or not. The mulch I used was ground up leaves. They seem to hold to the ground well even in a strong wind.

2009-03-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is a shoot of Music. Rather early but a wonderful sight!

2009-03-02T14:47:00.001-08:00

Checked the garlic yesterday and more is coming up as the temps have been in the 60s and today in the 70s. I put another layer of leaf mulch on top. I am sure we will have cold weather again and want to avoid or limit the freezing of green shoots. Garlic is a hardy plant and usually it can take the cold but good to limit possible loss.

2009-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

We have had unseasonably warm weather here in Northern CO. The Music and Romain Red are starting to pop beneath the mulch. I am happy to see that they have taken hold but would rather they not come out as it is too early. I'm wondering it others are experiencing similar results this time of year.

2009-02-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

The garlic has been in the ground since end of October. Soon the shoots will be poking through. For some they may already be showing through the mulch. It gets me very excited to see them popping through. Soon it will be time to start pulling weeds.