We harvested the first bulb of garlic last weekend: what a wonderful Mother's Day gift from the garden! Pictured Left: "Fresh from the earth", a massive bulb has gently been eased out of the bed it has rested in for the last 5 months.
It was a much easier project than I expected (but of course, I had no idea what to expect!)
We purchased 5 bulbs of ORGANIC garlic from the grocery store, looking specifically for the 'locally grown' label. This is important for two reasons: organic garlic will not have any growth inhibitors sprayed on it (so it doesn't sprout in the grocery store) and the 'local' label means it is a variety suited for our area...
The bulbs were separated into individual cloves. No need to undo all the papery wrappings...and soaked for three hours in a bowl of water containing a splash of fish emulsion (from the garden supply center) and a teaspoon of baking soda (to help ward off any fungal diseases).November 10: Cloves were poked into the bed of loose, well draining soil about an inch under the ground with their 'pointy sides' facing up.
That was it! a little water during dry spells and nothing else had to be done... The young garlic sprouts are edible the way fresh spring onion greens can be...and it was a trooper through our very cold Texas winter this year. We will definitely be planting more again next fall !!In the mean time, fresh garlic will be for sale at ze Farmer's Market this spring!! We start next Saturday, May 21, at 7am near the corner of Broad and Main in Historic Mansfield... See you there!
