When I came back off holiday I saw the neighbours (who'd been looking after the place) then went round all the stock and then went into the garden.
Everything has been growing like crazy and I could see a hundred jobs to do.
One that needed doing straight away was harvesting the garlic. It's smaller and earlier than I'd like but it was badly affected by rust and I think it had stopped it growing. Looking at my crop it should have been harvested a week a go as some of the skin around it has started to go bad and soft.
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| Batch one |
I pulled it up and laid the three types into three apple different crates I made earlier in the year (I copied these ones here). I left the garlic out in the sun yesterday to dry off.
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| Batch two |
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| Batch three |
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| Really pleased with these crates although I think I'll make some mesh bottomed ones for drying garlic and onions next year rather than the slats. |
Next year I'll plant it further apart so that the air can circulate around it more, one thing I really need to start doing is giving plants more space, there is no greater false economy than planting things too close together and getting smaller plants as a result.
Has anyone else harvested their garlic yet? Anyone else suffer with rust on their alliums and have a good organic cure for it?
I havent harvested yet, foliage is starting to die off, not had rust this year, Martin was saying Terry Walton on the radio was having trouble with rust this year
ReplyDeleteIt's all down to the changeable weather. The rust that attacks Alliums is the same that attacks metal. I am sure you have studied the fungi that attacks wood Kev, like wet rot and dry rot. If the plant or wood is porous emough these conditions will strike. Garlic originates from Asia. Have you grown them on ridges for better drainage? Good crop rotation also helps.
ReplyDeleteSome of my early potatoes look like they have blight. Not that I spray them. I just cut the tops off and use them I think we always have at least one vegetable crop that fails or gets attacked with something every year.
I'll be harvesting in about 2 weeks. Mine looks healthy, but they're certainly not very large this year. Perhaps further spacing might be helpful with that as well.....
ReplyDeleteMine looks about ready to harvest, well either that or it's all decided to have a lie down!! The only thing is we are having what can only be described as April Showers today and any chance of leaving it to dry out in the sun is a non-starter.
ReplyDeleteI had the onions out first thing this morning in the sunshine but had to dash over and take them into the polytunnel when the rain first came, so at the moment the bench in there is full of, hopefully, drying out onions. Maybe the Garlic can take their place tomorrow!
I don't think anyone grows garlic here. I have never seen it being grown, anyway. Sometimes you can buy it at the grocery store fresh, but usually you have to just get it minced in a jar.
ReplyDeleteMine is harvested and hanging up under the roof of our covered terrace. It'll dry in a couple of days.
ReplyDeletei harvested mine, dried it, cut the stalks off and i have it in baskets in my basement. i am a bit disappointed that the heads were not larger. i use the really small ones when i am making stock and i just throw the whole head in the pot.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS have a hard time deciding just when is the perfect time to harvest our garlic. I just noticed this past week that some of the leaves (not many, but some) are starting to turn yellow so I'll have to keep a good eye on it. Nothing, as far as pests or diseases, seems to bother the garlic here. I still have a few nice bulbs from last year in the basement -- which were small. Am hoping for bigger bulbs this year. We'll see!
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