Planting in the Fall

Hi There! ;-) Thanks to someone's comment, I realized I've never actually wrote about planting garlic in the fall - A serious deficiency, as that is typically the best time to plant!
Right now I am quite busy, in the midst of planting, so I'll draw the outline and fill in more detail later:
First: Acquire good seed. Nice sized bulbs, undamaged and free of mold, from a local source. (Hardneck garlic is typically Ontario, or at least Canadian, so if it has a good strong stem in the middle that's one indication.)
Prepare your soil for planting (it generally doesn't need any special fertilizers unless you are concerned about the soil being poor quality just get it tilled and ready). Sun, or part sun seem to be ideal, although I've suspected that garlic can grow pretty good with part shade too.
Break the cloves apart - each one becomes a new plant. Plant them 3-4 inches deep, with the pointy end up - that's where the sprout emerges. Recommended distance for small spaces: 8 inches apart in a grid. Or, 6 inches apart in rows, 20 - 30 inches apart. I find hilling up the rows, or raising the bed a good idea for drainage and winter run off.

When to plant: I do it right now: Sept 20 - 25. Most people say that's too early. For me it works.
You can plant into October. I find November is a poor time to plant. Especially if we have a early winter, the roots don't have enough time to establish, and the bulbs can be small at harvest.

For keeping track of different varieties, a map kept in a safe place is the best insurance. Stakes can fall out or go missing or loose their marking over winter - use them anyway, but keep a map!
I do both, plus I grow very different kinds next to each other in the row, so that if the stake goes missing, I can still tell visually where the variety changed (a bio-marker, if you will).

If your garlic comes up before the snow flies - don't worry, I've had that happen quite a few years, and never had problems with the next harvest. If it doesn't come up, in the fall, and you are worried about the germ of the seed, you can always dig, very gently with your fingers and check on them (don't break off the shoot if it's there!) Otherwise, have patience, garlic is a survivor and you will find out in spring. Garlic emerges quite early, and grows quickly in spring.

Mulch is an option as well - both for winter protection and summer moisture conservation. I've used straw, hay and fall maple leaves to good effect. Just be sure the spout can get through the layer of mulch in April/May.
If you have rodent issues, apply the mulch after they are done making their nests - after freeze off in the late fall.

...I hope I didn't miss anything. It's back to planting for me!
All the best with your planting projects! Julie

Thanks for making the Stratford Garlic Festival Great!

Hi there! We had a wonderful two days at the Stratford Garlic Festival last Saturday and Sunday. It is always great to talk to everyone and meet new people.
If anyone wants to be on our mailing list for next year, just send us an email with the subject as "Send me a catalogue next year!" Thanks.
A couple of our garlic strains sold out at the Festival, but there are still quite a few Porcelains and Marbled Purple Stripes in stock. And some Rocamboles and Creoles.  Please inquire if you are still looking for seed.

And, something I've been wanting to share: if any of you struggle with the tedium of peeling garlic, especially for a large event, like pickling garlic, preparing garlic for dehydrating, or roasting a forty-clove chicken! (A good meal choice to plan in after garlic planting, lol.) There is a simple trick that can make it easier to get, especially that thin sticky membrane off the cloves. Break the cloves apart, and JUST PUT THEM IN WATER! Tepid water works fine, soak for about five to ten minutes. the water loosens the clove skins and keeps them from breaking, so that once you get your paring knife under them, they come off all in one piece. This saves you time, no matter how much garlic you eat for lunch! And no gadget required.
Garlicky Regards, Julie

Stratford Garlic Festival Coming soon!

Less than two weeks until the Stratford Kiwanis Garlic Festival! We are getting our garlic, garlic bundles, potatoes, onions, and art ready to share with you. Hope to see you there!
Also note that if you can't make it to the Festival, and you want to place an order with us from the catalogue, we will be taking orders up until Thursday Sept 6th, and then starting again on Monday, Sept 10th. Any orders placed later than the 6th will be replied to on the 10th. Selection goes down after the Festival, so please try to order on or before Sept 6th. Thanks!

Garlic Harvest has Begun

Our new Seed Garlic Catalogue will be out in one month! (August 15th) 

I'll have it posted in the "Catalogue" page, replacing last year's list. 

 I expect we will have a very good harvest of Porcelains and Marbled Purple Stripes. All the other varieties look okay. This hot, dry weather has had an impact on the garlic, but all in all, it looks like a good year!

Just a note about harvest time: it probably will be a bit earlier than normal, but still make sure when you go to check on the plants that they are properly drying down from the bottom leaves, and not just from the leaf tips. It looks like they are drier than they really are in this weather, and it doesn't do to pull the bulbs out before the cloves are fully filled out. On the other extreme, don't dig them when the whole plant is crispy and dead - those leaves are wrappers covering the bulb! The bulb needs about three wrappers for good keeping, so at least three green(ish) leave are a must.

  I've dug all my Turbans, and am in the midst of digging the Asiatics, Artichokes, and some the small-bulbed Creoles, as well as a few Rocamboles.

If you happen to come out to the farm this fall to pick up a garlic order, be sure to look up at our barn roof. Last summer my Mother, Dianne (a sign painter from the pre-vinyl diecut days of hand lettering) went up there to paint this mural for us to enjoy as we work out in the garden.

You can see it from the road for a little bit, in between the trees, as you approach our farm from the East (if you are coming from Kitchener-Waterloo, say). 

In June I got a close up of it with a rare, dawn rainbow:

A Great Breakfast Idea

A friend tried this interesting combination while feeling the incoming effects of the flu.
It's really good, actually, and very healthy, too!

• Garlic, for anti-viral and immune boost.
• Honey, being anti-inflammatory and healing.
• Cinnamon, as a circulation stimulant.

I recommend it for any special breakfast or afternoon treat. Super simple to make.

Start with a fresh, hot slice of buttered toast.
Slather on some honey (garlic honey is pictured here, but that's not a necessary, since our next ingredient is fresh, crushed garlic). I advise spreading the honey first, so that your knife doesn't inoculate the honey pot with garlic flavour. Then, squeeze a fresh garlic clove through your favourite garlic press and spread that evenly over the honey and buttered toast. I suggest a nice flavourful Rocambole variety for early in the flu season. A small clove of Porcelain garlic works too. And for this time of year: whatever you have left in storage that hasn't been eaten already!
Top this off with a dash of Cinnamon.
And that's all!
Bon Appetit!