Dear Garlic, We got it right this time!

It’s such fun to learn through trial and error, and there’s no shortage of opportunity in the garden. If you read my book, you know that I planted my first crop of garlic upside-down, because it’s fun to just go for it as a beginner. I was so sure the little green sprout wanted to send a nice root down into the soil, but that green sprout was the first leaf. It had to work a long time to curve around itself to reach the light that first season. I grew cool umbrella-shaped garlic, but the cloves were tiny and, well, I learned how to plant garlic. The side of the clove with the roots that look like little hairs goes down.

I was sure to plant it right-side-up on year two, but an extremely wet season caused a lot of rot. To add to that problem, when I pulled it out of the ground, the bulbs were so dirty, I washed them clean with a spray nozzle–sure to power water into all the possible crevasses. It was so pretty when I put it up to cure, but actually I set it up for a good rotting. Garlic needs to be as dry as possible at harvest to allow for curing.

We managed to eat a good bit before the rot set in, but we had to throw out about 1/3 of the second season garlic. After two less-than-stellar garlic harvests, I decided my beginner’s mind needed some help, so I reached out to my community. I asked my friend Davis (who grows the biggest bulbs of garlic I’ve seen) if I could buy some seed garlic from him, and I asked him for his garlic-growing wisdom. This third crop was gonna make it.

Here’s what he said at planting time:

• Plant in mid-October (for our region–Floyd VA is in USDA Hardiness Zone 6b)
• Plant with the little furry roots pointed down and the single sprout or point of the garlic clove pointed up. (Okay, he didn’t say this. I learned this the hard way.)
• Pay attention to spacing–plant 6 inches apart.
• Garlic is a heavy feeder–add plenty of organic matter/compost in fall. I used Harmony Organic Fertilizer (composted chicken manure).
• Keep the beds weeded, as garlic doesn’t compete well.

His advice made me consider a few things about my gardening so far. I haven’t paid enough attention to spacing. It’s funny–I know plants need a certain amount of space, but I insist on crowding. I’m learning that less is more in yet another area of my life.

Since Davis said to space ’em 6″ apart, I found a stick that measured 6″ and used that as my guide. The cloves sprouted before the ground froze, and I mulched them with leaves and wood chips. I kept the beds free of weeds as part of my morning coffee-in-the-garden walking routine.

When the scapes shot up, I researched the right time to cut them–wait until they make their first curl. I pureed the scapes with olive oil and froze the mixture in ice-cube trays. Scapes are a great addition to pestos, dressings and salsas.

The leaves started to wilt and yellow a tiny bit in early June, so I visited our local organic gardening supplier, Seven Springs Farm. I can’t say enough how lucky I am to live in a place rich with such knowledge. I talked with the farmer there about the garlic and his advice was to water and feed. Since it was so close to harvest time, he recommended a water-soluble fertilizer. I used fish fertilizer and liquefied organic kelp (seaweed).

That perked them back up. I see the interconnectedness of this life. If Davis hadn’t stressed the importance of keeping the weeds down (duh) and I hadn’t incorporated walking my garden into my morning routine, I wouldn’t have noticed the wilting leaves or the tiny bit of yellow. This slowing down and noticing is a nice side-effect of simple living.

Another month passed and I remembered that July is garlic harvest time. But when? Back to Davis. I sent him a text. “When do you harvest your garlic? I’m following your lead on this crop. So far, so good.”

He replied, “Depends, but about now, I’m looking for a dry window of several days to a week to let them cure in the ground. But as leaves begin to brown on the tips, they’re about ready. We’re eating some now, fresh right outta the ground–no hanging, just pull and serve.”

I didn’t get the full week he suggested, but I did get four dry days. I pulled it out right before a storm rolled in–a dramatic thunder roll said goodbye to the 2014 garlic. Digging it up was a bit like Christmas. What is in the package of dirt? Beautiful-right-side-up, dirty garlic!

And guess what? I have a place to cure it. The first year, I tried the tiny house loft, but there just wasn’t room. I ended up hanging them around the house in red mesh bags. It worked okay, but there was some rot because there wasn’t enough airflow. The second year, I tried to cure in the shed, but it’s moist and cool in there and they didn’t dry out fast enough, plus I soaked them :/

This time, I’m using the stairwell in the big house–it’s out of the way and has plenty of airflow. Just to be sure, I move our loft fan up there during the day for extra air circulation. This might just be my year for garlic.

I think we got it right this time.

Perseverance and a willingness to make mistakes and learn as you go is a huge benefit in any new endeavor. Finding the humor in it all makes it fun. Could I have found all this out the first year? Yup! But sometimes you don’t know what you need to learn. The trial and error approach is a powerful educator.

I am grateful to live in such a wonderful community. Thanks, Garlic. Thanks, Davis. Thanks, Seven Springs.

Simply,
Hari
P.S.
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