Lawn and Garden 2022

[bill_g]

How do you process and store it all?

I wash it immediately after harvest, trim the roots off, peel it down to clean paper white, and let it sit overnight to dry. Then I braid, and give it a couple days in the sun. After that I bring it indoors to hang in the kitchen. It lasts about a year. Over time some will wither, some will go brown, but most will be fine. If it's sticky after I peel a clove, it's good to use. If it's not, I compost it.

I always have plenty to give away.

[humblescribe]

Excellent, BillG!

My softnecks this year did not get large bulbs. I am unclear whether I stuck the cloves in the ground too late (mid-December) or whether it was too warm during winter. But I'll give her another go this autumn in mid-November to see if that works.

Can't grow hardnecks in these here parts. Tell me, do you harvest the scapes? I hear they are quite tasty! [Stupid spellchecker doesn't know what a scape is. ]

[mojosapien]

Luke 14:10 — The New International Version (NIV) 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

[neonzx]

Those are beautiful bill_g! I may have some history in the Heartland but was not blessed with a green thumb. I leave it to the experts...

[bill_g]

Excellent, BillG!

My softnecks this year did not get large bulbs. I am unclear whether I stuck the cloves in the ground too late (mid-December) or whether it was too warm during winter. But I'll give her another go this autumn in mid-November to see if that works.

Can't grow hardnecks in these here parts. Tell me, do you harvest the scapes? I hear they are quite tasty! [Stupid spellchecker doesn't know what a scape is. ]

To get large, you have to plant large. The larger the clove, the larger the globe. You can plant the small cloves over several successive years, and they will eventually make large globes. You can plant the clove the size of the tip of your little finger, and over the course of five years of replanting the cloves from each generation, they will get bigger and bigger.

The soil has to be stiff enough to support the stems, but soft enough to let the globes grow. You want a clay soil with some sand and lots of compost. If you can make a crumbly mudball from a handful of wet dirt, you're in the neighborhood. If it becomes modeling clay, it needs compost and maybe sand. If it immediately falls apart, it needs clay. Garlic grows naturally along stream beds. So, imagine that black dirt.

Light to moderate fertilizer - they don't need to be overfed. Read the instruction for vegetables, and do half that. After you harvest, plant bush green beans in the bed. They will replenish nitrogen in the soil, and provide all you need for the next season.

Lots of water - mulch the dirt to retain moisture. Let some of the weeds grow. They help shade the soil without competeing with the garlic.

Lots of sun - a south side of the house bed along the foundation will do nicely especially through a mild winter. It makes a microclimate that extends their growth period and let's them suffer a little freeze.

On scrapes - aka garlic hard necks - no. Never eaten them. OTOH, I've used softneck garlic like a scallion in cooking and salads with good results. If people like garlic, they'll like the softneck stems.

Cheers!

[bill_g]

Those are beautiful bill_g! I may have some history in the Heartland but was not blessed with a green thumb. I leave it to the experts...

Thank you.

I don't know about green thumb, but I seem to have been born with it. My first garden was when I was 10. I read comic books, and on the back were these ads to make money by selling seed. You buy the sales kit, and then go door to door. It was my introduction to Southern gentility. Not many takers, but they were nice as they shooed me off their porch. We did not have a garden space at home, and I didn't have the garden tools to make one. I paid attention to who did grow a garden, and asked them if I could plant these seeds in their gardens. Pretty soon I had a steady group of customers. Those people taught me how to do it right. Once we bought this place in 89, I finally had a garden of my own, and believe me, I've killed more than my share of plants. Everything that I grow here is something that survives my care somehow. You have to feel sorry for them a little bit.

[bill_g]

Luke 14:10 — The New International Version (NIV) 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

You can sit at the head of our table any day Mojo. Hope you like garlic.

[humblescribe]

Thanks, Bill.

I plant in raised beds with a mixture of chicken manure, compost, and topsoil. I toss all the trimmed roots and leaves back in to compost over the summer. They were in the same raised beds as my onions. The onions sized up quite nicely--many well over one pound, and several close to two--I have the timing down with them so that they bulb up once daylight here is >13 hours/day. I start onions from seed in late August and stick them in the ground around Thanksgiving.

I did plant large cloves--I knew to. I think that this is more of a timing matter. We'll have to compare notes one year hence!

And, you should try cooking up those scapes: https://www.food.com/ideas/garlic-scape ... 4#c-803012

Cheers!

[bill_g]

Thanks, Bill.

I plant in raised beds with a mixture of chicken manure, compost, and topsoil. I toss all the trimmed roots and leaves back in to compost over the summer. They were in the same raised beds as my onions. The onions sized up quite nicely--many well over one pound, and several close to two--I have the timing down with them so that they bulb up once daylight here is >13 hours/day. I start onions from seed in late August and stick them in the ground around Thanksgiving.

I did plant large cloves--I knew to. I think that this is more of a timing matter. We'll have to compare notes one year hence!

And, you should try cooking up those scapes: https://www.food.com/ideas/garlic-scape ... 4#c-803012

Cheers!

Soil: Interesting. I think maybe your dirt is too nice. Experiment with some plain old silty soil and/or cut back on the manure.

Timing: I plant garlic and potatoes at Halloween largely because it's a memorable date, and because it's worked for me at LAT 45 / ELE 120' (Willamette Valley area) in Oregon with our mild Winters. My 8 x4' bed is next to the house on the south side with good sun all year reflecting off light color paint. It makes a microclimate that extends the growing season. Harsh in Summer, but pleasant the remaining seasons.

Shared beds: I've heard (but not had a lot of experience) that coplanting with onions and other alliums results in poor growth for the coplant. Experiment with coplanting as you already do, and planting separately from the same host clove to see if you get different results.

****

The braids are nicely drying. It's raining today. So, I brought them in from the porch. They are turning purple.

My neighbors noticed them drying, and commented they would easily sell at a farmer's market for a $100. That sounded a bit high, but a cursory search showed 4 clove braids on EBay for $39, and larger braids up to $75. So, maybe I found artistic expression for my golden years. I can become obsessive with my garlic sculptures.

[sugar magnolia]

Damn garlic is precious up there! A 12 clove braid at the farmer's market here is $18. 8 clove braids of the larger garlic is $20.

[bill_g]

That's what I was thinking.

[MsDaisy]

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Freshly picked this morning, Mr D will stew them up and I'll get out the canning pot. It will be the first time this year since we got zero cherries or peaches this year. It was very strange not having any fruit this spring but nothing grew, our neighbors had the same problem and it wasn't a late frost.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/japa ... ted-states

Find Inner Peace at These 12 Stunning Japanese Gardens Across the United States

Interest in Japanese gardens in this country began with displays at late 19th- and early 20th-century U.S.-based world’s fairs and expositions. World War II dampened the enthusiasm, but the public gradually warmed to these beautiful landscapes again.

Missouri Botanical Garden
WHERE: St. Louis, Missouri
The 14-acre Seiwa-en, “garden of pure, clear harmony and peace,” lives up to its name with a minimalist display shaped by centuries-old Japanese practices. The centerpiece is a large lake with four islands, one showcasing a teahouse constructed in Missouri’s sister state in Japan, Nagano Prefecture, then reassembled in St. Louis and dedicated in a Shinto ceremony. Snow is considered to be a flower in Japanese gardens, and visitors here are urged to brave winter’s chill for a different perspective.

Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois
Sansho-En, or Garden of Three Islands, is part of the Chicago Botanic Garden, its 17th-century style thoughtfully curating a sense of timelessness. Partially buried large rocks appear to have always existed in their settings; pine trees, symbolizing long life in Japanese philosophy, are shaped to seem ago-old; and short-lived flowering plants suggest the dichotomy of human transience and nature’s constancy.

6-20200527-085601-RJC_9744-1200x800.jpg (223.52 KiB) Viewed 1247 times

[bill_g]

That place is striking in it's simplicity and beauty. Thank you.

(My back aches just thinking about it. Simple ain't simple. There's a bunch of work involved.)

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

IMG_3368.jpg (98.67 KiB) Viewed 1204 times

[humblescribe]

Better a kitty-cat than a diamondback.

[Phoenix520]

Ive been to the tea garden section of the Japanese Garden in Van Nuys. It’s at the edge of a large public park, Balboa Park. The reclamation district had to create a public *something* in exchange for being given the acres they needed for Tillman, which was carved out of the park.

It’s beauty and teeming with life.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Better a kitty-cat than a diamondback.

Definitely! AND more reason to look!

I had a toad in my horsie boot. I put both on ANF wondered why one was so soft! Voila! Un crapaud!

[bill_g]

It's mater and bean time!

These are French Filet Beans from Ed Hume Seed. These are bush beans that produce all season. Strip all the beans, and they will set new flowers in a week or two. No need to plant succesive generations. Plant closely. They sister well to a point. Over time the strong bushes will be apparent allowing you to cull the weaker ones out making more room for the others.

The maters are a local hybrid called Siletz. It's a mini-beefsteak. It doesn't have clearly differentiated seed chambers like other salad tomatoes. Instead it is dense meat buckshot with seed pockets. And they are half the size of beefsteaks. So, easier to consume in one meal. Everybody can have their own tomatoe to eat the way they want to. They are also easy to peel once ripe. Set them on the counter a couple days. They loose some water making the skin easy to peel off from stem to flower. A little salt, maybe a dash of olive oil and red wine, maybe some herbs, and you're ready to enjoy.

[MsDaisy]

It's mater and bean time!

These are French Filet Beans from Ed Hume Seed. These are bush beans that produce all season. Strip all the beans, and they will set new flowers in a week or two. No need to plant succesive generations. Plant closely. They sister well to a point. Over time the strong bushes will be apparent allowing you to cull the weaker ones out making more room for the others.

The maters are a local hybrid called Siletz. It's a mini-beefsteak. It doesn't have clearly differentiated seed chambers like other salad tomatoes. Instead it is dense meat buckshot with seed pockets. And they are half the size of beefsteaks. So, easier to consume in one meal. Everybody can have their own tomatoe to eat the way they want to. They are also easy to peel once ripe. Set them on the counter a couple days. They loose some water making the skin easy to peel off from stem to flower. A little salt, maybe a dash of olive oil and red wine, maybe some herbs, and you're ready to enjoy.

Looking good! Do you can?

[Foggy]

Awesome.

[bill_g]

It's mater and bean time!

These are French Filet Beans from Ed Hume Seed. These are bush beans that produce all season. Strip all the beans, and they will set new flowers in a week or two. No need to plant succesive generations. Plant closely. They sister well to a point. Over time the strong bushes will be apparent allowing you to cull the weaker ones out making more room for the others.

The maters are a local hybrid called Siletz. It's a mini-beefsteak. It doesn't have clearly differentiated seed chambers like other salad tomatoes. Instead it is dense meat buckshot with seed pockets. And they are half the size of beefsteaks. So, easier to consume in one meal. Everybody can have their own tomatoe to eat the way they want to. They are also easy to peel once ripe. Set them on the counter a couple days. They loose some water making the skin easy to peel off from stem to flower. A little salt, maybe a dash of olive oil and red wine, maybe some herbs, and you're ready to enjoy.

Looking good! Do you can?

Can I do.

[MsDaisy]

[bill_g]

14# of romas picked yesterday. I'm expecting a similar amount today or tomorrow. But, this is enough to get us started on marinara.

[MsDaisy]