It is great to see the sun set on a another garlic crop - because it is really just another chapter opening - and with all the drought we've been having, we could certainly use a change.
It is also nice to see what the results are of a nine month project. The results are in, and other than a couple of nobbly, oddly-shapen bulbs that couldn't push through the rock-like clay, the size and quality is surprisingly good. I'd say it's about average to all my other years, and with all the dry air, it's curing nicely.
Some of you may be wondering about this year's catalogue. I plan to have it out on August 20th.
I've just started trimming the Artichokes and Rocamboles, and getting a feel for quantities and how things will go. I am also plotting out the next planting of garlic, and how much seed to save, and making some changes so that I can continue to grow garlic in a way that works for me and my family. Mainly, I'm concentrating on the best porcelains and marbled purple stripes for a year (or longer) while I downsize the rest to a "seed library" quantity, just large enough to keep these varieties going, while offering bulbils to get other people started, if they are interested. I may expand again in the future, we are just working through some transitions on the farm.
My sister Rachel, cleaning off the bulbs expertly, and laying them in piles to be picked up by me, after I'm done taking pictures.
I hand dug a fair bit of garlic this year, as I was worried about the undercutter rising out of the hard, chalky-textured soil and smashing a bunch of bulbs in half. You can really tell where the drainage tile, and the nice ground is on a dry year. Normally it's a fairly solitary job, but one of our cats chose to keep me company for quite a while.
The harvested garlic at the start of filling the granary, where we have climate control with two dehumidifiers/air conditioners.
No comments:
Post a Comment