A week ago when the above photo was taken, I was dispairing that some of my garlic hadn't made it through the winter. Four kinds of garlic were planted last fall. The one with all the foliage on it is an unknown softneck from the supermarket that I loved. Not long after it was planted, the leaves bravely pushed through the soil. It has slowly grown all winter under the snow. It was a little put out by our cold snap into the teens when it had no snow cover, but it was just a minor setback. It seems to be a very strong garlic.
The other garlic that was up in the above photo were little shoots of my German Extra Hardy. It is the garlic to the far left. It didn't show itself until the spring, but still only one little clove didn't seem to grow. I had a couple of the Georgian Crystal (between those two) push through last week, but not many. Not a sign could be seen of the Bogytar that is the biggest planting on the right. I was very afraid my garlic had failed over the winter. The Bogytar cloves were pretty pitiful. I wasn't happy with that variety of seed garlic. It was small and a little diseased. I had to throw most of it out.
What a difference a week makes. The photos are only six days apart, but only a couple aren't up from all but the Bogytar. Even that one has at least half of them making an appearance. I was afraid I would get a pitiful harvest, but maybe, just maybe all of the 44 cloves planted will come up. I can only hope.
Your garlic looks great. I usually don't loose very many cloves each year, just a couple. Don't you just love this time of year? I mean love it? I was excited by my crocus and exstatic about seeing my garlic again.
ReplyDeleteWow, Daphne, 44 bulbs of garlic and four different kinds! Way to go!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is a good feeling when you see little green shoots from something you thought had died.
ReplyDeletePlanting garlic in the fall was a new experience for me, so I'm happy mine survived the harsh winter. I have always planted it in the spring and harvested in the fall, but I'm not real big on growing garlic...a jar of the minced stuff from the store is usually my source. I know I need to change my ways ;-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't get any garlic planted last fall because of illness, but I'm going to tuck some in the greenhouse shortly and get it gong (we still have a lot of snow here). Yours is looking great.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a little jealous. No, I know I'm a little jealous. I planted in the fall too and everything came up in the fall. Only a few are growing now.
ReplyDeleteIf I was supposed to lay down that much mulch I'm luck to have any at all.
Congrats!
Hi Daphne, I haven't visited your blog in a little while, and I must say I was amazed to see what you have been up to since I last had a peek. Your beds with the cloches and all your garlic WOW I am very impressed. Your seeds always look so healthy! is it because of the light system you use ? I will be back to have another look as there is always something interesting growing.
ReplyDeleteYour garlic is looking good. Half of mine grew a few inches last fall and then this spring they were the only ones up. I started to fret about it but they have all sprouted now except one that rotted.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple ideas for stiffening your poly tunnel, I will e-mail them to you.
Amazing what a little amount of time can do! Not to mention the fact that plants are truly amazing and manage just the way they are, despite us (good thing for me- I tend to over love mine :)
ReplyDeleteOttawa Gardner, yup I do love this time of year. Each day something else pops up. Right now I'm checking those peas everyday. I can't wait to see the first ones.
ReplyDeleteOur Friend Ben, Thanks, I really do love garlic and hopefully that will hold me for at least part of the year.
Keewee, yup the garden happy dance was preformed. I love that they didn't die on me.
Annie's Granny, I always mince my own. I love the smell of it when it gets cut. My only issue is that I don't love the smell of it on my hands, but I finally found a decent trick to get rid of it - my chrome faucet weirdly enough.
Jodi, I hope your spring planted garlic does well for you. I hate when illnesses keep me out of the garden. The worst I had was mono over the summer. I actually had no garden at all that year. If I had known early enough I would have sown a cover crop.
Maureen, nope it isn't the light system. I'm disappointed in my lights. I'm going back to fluorescents. Right now I'm using the window sill as my sole light source. It seems to be working fine right now, but once those trees get their leaves I'd better have a light up again.
Dan, I'm fairly certain I have two that aren't coming up, but some are still breaking the surface so time will tell.
Tessa, Yeah sometimes I get the feeling they survive in spite of me. I wasn't seeing my spinach so dug a little end up to see if was doing anything, yup it was. LOL of course that two inches of row isn't coming up anymore. I have trouble with patience sometimes.