Yesterday, I finally got off my bottom and got stuck into planting some food. I started off, as the title suggests, with garlic. This is my 3rd year of growing garlic, and it is so easy. This is how I grew garlic last season. So this season, I decided to plant even more, as we have been feeding it to the chickens as medicine to keep mites and intestinal worms away.
The pumpkin patch was cleared a couple of weeks ago, and they are very hungry feeders and take a lot of nutrients out of the soil. This is exactly the type of soil that garlic loves. It doesn’t need any extra manure to get it going, just some water. If you do add manure or an organic fertiliser the garlic grows too much leaf and not enough bulb, which is what you are really after. All I did was loosen the soil up a bit with a rake.
Anyway, I planted two varieties this year. I picked up some Southern Glenn from Diggers Club, which is specially bred to be day length neutral so it can be grown as far north as Northern NSW and Queensland. It is a softneck variety and the reason I planted it was because it matures early in spring and stores for 6 months.
The other variety were bulbs that I saved from last years crop, which I believe are Australian White (below).
Overall, I planted the cloves from 7 bulbs, two Southern Glenn and five Australian White.
Garlic is so easy to plant. Just dig a hole double the length of the clove (about 5cm) and bung it in, pointy end up.
It might be a little hard to see, but this part of the bed now has the two bulbs of Southern Glenn planted.
Then I moved on to the big bulbs that I had saved from last years crop.
Moving along with each clove, planted double the length down with my hand.
Breaking off some more,
Then just smooth over the soil with my hand. Simple as pie.
Then I watered it all in with rainwater. The leaves should show in about 4-6 days. Five bulbs down and two to go.
Then I tackled the the next bed. The bed near the chicken run was overgrown with couch grass (I think that is what it is?).
Most people would spray it with Roundup ™, but not this little black duck. I resorted to pulling out every single bit of grass and root that I could.
Down on my hands and knees to tackle the tough stuff.
The roots were so deep in places that I had to get out the trusty hand fork.
It took me a good hour to get it all out, but then within a few months it will start to grow back. I will just have to keep on top of it as the garlic grows. I gave this bed a rake and a water, then popped in the cloves from the next two bulbs. Job done, and it was time for a cup of tea and a rest.
Tomorrow I will be clearing three beds on the other side of the house and putting in brown onions and broad beans, leaving one bed free for cabbages and broccoli.
What have you been planting over the weekend?
Great work… going to get our garlic & onions in soon too. Hey, stop working so hard when you’re not so healthy… you’re putting everyone else to shame!!
Hi Gav,
I’m on the opposite end of the planting cycle to you, I’ve just planted pumkin, courgette and butternut squash, I have to grow them in a polytunnel as it’s not warm enough. I’m pulling up radishes and when they’re finished, I’ll put tomatoes in.
couche is the bain of my exsistance(I ahve acres of it)…I have been reading about how to kill it and read that vinegar might do the job..Whenn i go to town next I’m gunna buy some to try it out
In the food line I’ve planted chives this weekend. I also planted a tecoma which I’ve been meaning to do for years.
I’ve got tomatoes popping up in the garden bed. I wish I had a poly tunnel to grow them through the winter………..is there a way I can make use of these self seeded tommies at this time of the year? Seems a shame to waste them. I know they are cherry tommies.
I never knew garlic didn’t need manure. Drats, I’ve planted mine in a lovely, well-manured spot. Should have popped them where the pumpkins were. Oh well we’ll see how they go this year. Last year I was too impatient and dug them all up too early. Even though their stems seemed to have yellowed. I planted mine a couple of weeks ago so I’ll wait til you dig yours up and maybe I’ll be lucky this time.
oh yeah, that’s couch all right. Our whole yard is made up of the stuff, I spend most of my time in the garden pulling the horrid stuff out.
I’m planting out garlic from last year’s crop and another bed of carrots.
We have a couch problem too especially this year with all the rain, it has sprung up everywhere. It is terrible stuff…
I have my garlic in and up, but maybe I haven’t put it in the right soil either, will have to wait and see.
Tania
hey Gav….we planted broccoli, brussels,yellow beans, onions,rocket mix and something else but i cant think what it was:)
Cleared the vegie garden too, have found the passionfruit, jostaberry,blueberry, strawberries,chilli,eggplant,tomatoes and lettuce again:) Now to keep the weeds away….also have a good supply of pumpkins
Oh, I’m another one here who planted garlic in a nitrogen-rich bed (under the roses). Here’s hoping that it still goes OK. Thanks for the post – I love your blog.
I am finally going to be planting my very first veggie plants EVER this weekend. Seeing what you are doing in your garden is inspiring to me. I will be planting peas, beets and carrots this weekend. I built and prepped my beds last weekend, and this weekend the seeds go in the GROUND. I am very excited to start this food growing journey.