Gardens anyone?

[tomturkey]

I figured out a good way to haul the leaves I have blown up in a pile. I put HD zip ties in all of the grommets of a 6x8 tarp. After I rake the leaves onto the tarp I have HD carabiner that i hook all of the zip ties onto. I then can carry the leaves to my mulch pile and dump them. The mulch pile is around 3 feet deep after all of the years I have been dumping them there. Anyone that wants to learn how it is done as I have a huge pile of leaves that needs to be picked up. This is the second time I have picked up that area with a few more times to go.  I do not have a tree in that area. They are coming off the lot behind mine.

[rgfixit]

Had a single bagger on my old JD with only a 30” single blade deck. The new one has a double bagger and a 3 blade 48” deck. Sure happy with that. They make a triple bagger but it was twice the price of mine.

Only place I rake is my flower beds and that’s in the spring.

Anyway the garlic is in the ground. Only put in 66 this year.  The cloves I planted are huge so I thought why not give them some more room. Beds were perfect after the 3/4” of rain we had a couple days ago.

Now we anxiously wait for next June.

[piscesman]

Wow, Bob 60 cloves........... We did about that today from 3 different type garlic bunches. I thought it was a lot more than the usual planter. Staked out the sections and labeled for next year. I made a stick to insert in the ground and worked it in circles to widen the soil. Dropped the garlic in and pushed with my finger. Closed up hole afterwards. Made the job much easier. Hopefully lots of garlic next year. Plus, in the sun more than the main garden. Wife is waiting for the leaves to fall to add mulch on top.
      Kim

[rgfixit]

Yeah…a couple of 2x8’ beds will produce some amazing results. Grind up those leaves. If you put them on whole they’ll smother the garlic.

Cleaned the yards today and you couldn’t tell from the leaves that dropped. No matter….I’m ready for leaves and I’ll use them.

[Raquettedacker]

I did my usual 100 cloves..

 Kim I have a garlic planting stick also.. . 

[rgfixit]

You guys need a garden dibber.


I know a guy who makes them. 

Garlic is mostly tucked in for the winter.



I’ll add more mulch as it settles.

[rgfixit]

Wow, Bob 60 cloves........... We did about that today from 3 different type garlic bunches. I thought it was a lot more than the usual planter. Staked out the sections and labeled for next year. I made a stick to insert in the ground and worked it in circles to widen the soil. Dropped the garlic in and pushed with my finger. Closed up hole afterwards. Made the job much easier. Hopefully lots of garlic next year. Plus, in the sun more than the main garden. Wife is waiting for the leaves to fall to add mulch on top.
      Kim

Last season I did about double that. You just can’t have enough garlic. But, I usually do👍

What varieties did you plant?

[piscesman]

OK, Bob here goes. Barbers' garlic 2 whole ones. Altamont Agway, 2 whole ones or 1.5. A little smallish on cloves. Hannaford garlic from local farmers, 2 whole ones. BTW, Barbers is a produce "stand" past Schoharie and past Middletown. With the rain today we are set until next year after mulch is laid down.......
      Kim

[piscesman]

OH!!! I forgot to ask. How do you dry garlic or herbs for future cooking?
      Kim

[rgfixit]

I hang mine under our umbrella outdoors for a couple weeks. If it’s really rainy I hang them in the garage till the stalks are dry. Any dry place with good air circulation is fine.



Then I cut the stalks off and put them in a plastic tote in the basement.


That’s about it. Works for me.

I grow German Hardneck. It does very well in our zone.

[piscesman]

Boy, that garlic sure looks pretty. Where do you get the German Hard Necks at?? Also do you replant any that you grew?? Thanks.
      Kim

[Raquettedacker]

Yes replant your biggest cloves.
Did another 120. .
 This was this summer’s harvest..

[icefisher47]

I never heard of German Hardneck garlic. Will have to try and find it.

[Bartman44]

All that garlic does look good. Great idea hanging it from the patio umbrella.

[rgfixit]

Very common garlic variety. Hardy in northern zones. The original seed came from a local farm market. I’ve replanted my largest cloves, rotating beds, for the past 5 years and it just keeps improving.

To give you some reference, here’s a couple cloves from what I’ve been cooking with. They’re smaller than what I planted.



A side note, I wear 2xl gloves.

I plant seed from mine and every couple years I add in some from the farm market. I don’t know if it really helps, but it seems it does.