The weather makes for interesting conversation especially this year.  People have been reporting tulip leaves beginning to show, tree buds beginning to swell and the like.  I was pruning some trees and sap was running like it was April.  You, too, may have noticed you garlic cloves sprouting.  If you haven't already, I recommend covering them with a mulch such as straw to help keep the cloves from being pushed out of the ground by the thawing and freezing of the soil.  The sprouts may freeze but garlic is tough and has survived a lot more harsher conditions.  I admit, I get concerned too and have to remind myself it will survive.

Yes, it's been a while since my last post.  Time flies.....well you know the rest.  Onto the new year.  Garlic plants are growing through the mulch something that hasn't happened before.  This winter, so far, has been very mild for Northwest Ohio and in a snow drought.  Usually there is a thick blanket of snow on the field but so far not this year.  Encouraging and yet concerning at the same time.

I've made a few changes this year and it will only be at harvest time to know if I was successful.  First, I didn't build the raised beds high; kept them lower to ground level.  This is because of the very sandy soil I have.  There is a lot of compost in the beds but still a lot of sand.  And wouldn't you know, this have also been one of the wettest fall seasons yet.  So much water and no where for it to go; for several days the beds were islands before the water finally drained away.  Then added an additional row, going from four rows per bed to five.

The seed catalogs are arriving and the days are getting longer a minute at a time. Dreaming of spring!

What a year!  First the drenching rains, drought and scortching heat which continues today.  A few varieties were affected but the one that tolerated the weather extremes the best was Bavarian Purple and I was amazed.  All plants suffered but this one still produced some of the largest bulbs to date.  Besides the weather, moles remain a problem because of their tunnelling under the roots of the plants.

All in all, the harvest was ok but expectations were for more; bigger and better however came up a bit short.  But fields are mowed, getting ready to plow and planning for fall planting.

So much rain and with cool temps, not only is the garlic growing very well so are the weeds and grass in the raised beds.  Trying to pull out the weeds and mud comes with them; hard to keep up with this chore.  Definitely have to come up with a better plan for next year.

Was rained out this week from going to the Bowling Green and Perrysburg markets.  Making plans to go to the Toledo Market, Saturday, May 21.

May 3, 2011

Spring garlic is here at last and can't wait to start cooking with it!  There has been so much rain recently and thought it was going to delay harvest, however, it was not the case and it is available now.  If you haven't tried spring garlic, treat yourself to a bunch.  Plans are in the works to be at the Perrysburg Farmers Market on Thursdays and Bowling Green Market on Wednesdays.

Regarding the garlic crop, I didn't do myself any favors by using hay for a mulch.  Last couple years, I must have been lucky to have hay that didn't have any seeds, but this year oh my, I have better looking grass in the field than I do in the front yard!  A big problem because with all the rain, the raised beds are soaked and pulling up grass in impossible without pulling up mud.  Several days of dry weather would help a lot. 

March 12, 2011

I walked the field this morning and was happy to see all varieties growing.  Even where there is water between the rows, plants are growing, thanks to the raised beds.  Mulch was thick in few areas and when I pulled it back I was surprised to see plant growth was already about 4 to 5 inches.  You might want to consider the same; pull back some of the thickest mulch to give the plants room to stretch.

The ground is soft in different areas as I continued my walk when all of a sudden my foot sunk down in boot sucking mud.  I struggled to pull out my foot without losing my boot; then realize I stepped into a mole tunnel.  Moles!  I could barely see the tunnels; whether they were there from last year or if they are already tunneling through the field.  The person who discovers a successful means of getting rid of moles in an organic field will be a millionaire ten times over!

 

Feb 1, 2011

We are getting walloped with snow, freezing rain, and high winds.  It's hitting the front of the house so hard it sounds like someone throwing pellets.  Every once in a while one of the storm windows unexpectedly rattles.  So far, no loss of power and crossing my fingers it stays on.

This year snow has stayed on the ground for much longer than recent past.  Before, it would snow, then melt exposing the garlic beds to the elements.  The field remains nicely covered with snow, so much the 8" ID sticks are are almost buried.

The hens are tucked away in their coop; barely notice what's going on outside.  I converted a stall into a coop and they have a better protection from the weather.  Glad I enclosed the chicken run in plastic; temperatures are going to be bitter cold even during the day.  But inside the enclosed run, when the sun shines, it's not bad at all.  I still get concerned though when temps go below zero at night.

No chance the ground hog will see his shadow tomorrow!  Could an early spring be just around the corner?  I'm ready for it!

"No Farms, No Food" bumper stickers available, Free!  No purchase necessary, no obligation.  Send a stamped, self-addressed business envelope to me and I will send the sticker to you.  Why am I doing this?

When I was at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market this past summer, I saw several people with shopping bags with the sticker.  It struck a chord.  I remember seeing farmland that surrounded my childhood home, be sold and turned into an industrial park, high priced suburban houses and a golf course.  I often wondered why the farmer's sold their land. Was it because the price was right?  No family interested?  Regardess the reason, I watched over the years farmland where I grew up, fast disappearing.

That's why I am making this sticker available.  To raise awareness, start discussions, to give people pause to think. If no farms, where will our food come from?

For more information, American Farmland Trust at www.farmland.org

January 1, 2011.     Happy New Year to everyone!  The new year came in with thunderstorms; drenching rains and record breaking warm temperatures.  Every bit of snow we had earlier in the month is gone.  Before the storms rolled in, I was able to work on the mulch covering the rows.  Previous high winds blew some of the covering off exposing the rows.  A lot of plant growth under the mulch; some already 6" high, especially Korean Mountain and Bavarian Purple.  But can't get used to the balmy weather as strong wind are blowing in and temps are set to drop 20 degrees.  Such is the weather in Northwest Ohio.  Still have some nice large bulbs of Lorz Italian, a softneck available for sale.  It's one of the longer storing varieties

Increased amount of cloves planted especially the Creoles, Burgundy and Cuban Purple, not going to give up on those. Still not sure what happened last year as to why lost so much of the harvest or why bulb size was below expectations; maybe they are still getting used to the environment. Going to monitor them more closely for signs of stress.

December 26, 2010

One of my 2010 resolutions was to add a blog page and I got it done with days to spare.  Hope everyone had a great holiday and looking forward to the new year.

Seed catalogs have started to arrive and though there is snow on the ground, the catalogs inspire thoughts of spring.  Besides garlic, I grow a few other vegetables; but love the heirloom tomatoes; so many choices of color, size and flavor.  I sell the plants from a roadside stand; yet I have had folks ask for just red tomatoes, unwilling to try anything different.  They don't know what they're missing.  So I have taken on the mission of not only educating people on the many different varieties of garlic but also heirloom tomatoes.

Speaking of garlic, the recipe page now includes how to roast garlic.  The flavor is nothing short of fabulous!