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Post by elkhound on Apr 11, 2015 5:20:10 GMT
this years martin garlic is by far the best yet starting out.i got it in ground just right and first part of winter was mild.i also after planting piled up my rotten woodchip stuff and i think it sorta insulated it a bit..maybe..maybe not but as time went on it compacted etc.but theres still a good bit left on it.i have 164 in 2 raised beds and part of a regular row of it.i hope it continues on like it has started so i can really expand it come fall time.   |
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Post by calliemoonbeam on Apr 11, 2015 8:02:33 GMT
That is growing like wildfire Elk, looks great! I definitely want to get some of that before the next planting.  |
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Post by paquebot on Apr 11, 2015 14:20:39 GMT
Looks great! Since you've used wood chips, now is the time to add some nitrogen. In fact, that would apply no matter if shredded leaves or straw were used since all are carbon.
I planted mine late last fall since I didn't want any fall growth. Of course, that meant worrying all winter about what may happen. One bed had 100 planted from cloves. Another had 200 and divided almost equally cloves and bulbils. The bed of 100 had a mix of shredded leaves and white pine needles. The 200-bed had shredded straw first and then leaves over that. The first bed was almost a week earlier than the second. Theory is that the sun's rays were being absorbed by one and reflected off the other.
Another thing which hasn't surprised me is the size of those planted from bulbils. Some of those plants are already as big as those planted from cloves. I did plant only the largest that I had on hand but distributed larger ones via several other forums.
Goal this year is to see a 4" bulb. Two inches of old horse manure were tilled in just before planting. 5-2-0 Milorganite has now been spread to supply the nitrogen needed to break down the mulch. Along with the horse manure, that should be sufficient in supplying everything that the garlic needs.
No reason why I won't be able to supply a lot of members with it this fall. It's one that quickly sells out when offered commercially. When I do offer it, it will be as both bulbs and bulbils so gardeners don't have to wait several years to build up a good supply.
Martin
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Post by elkhound on Apr 11, 2015 15:20:07 GMT
it funny you should mention this martin....yesterday i cleaned out nest boxes where my hens had gotten in with muddy feet and along with poop in there and a bit of rotten sawdust.i had a gallon bucket of this dry matter.so i decided to give it a health sprinkling of this and i did.i figured since there was so much wood matter there in beds it could take a bit more of the high powered poo than normal since it might still absorb some of it.if you look in lower left corner theres a chicken poop i didnt get broken up...lol
you might find this of interest.the big giant piles of delivered woodchips from tree trimmers i have well i dug into it for a loader bucket full to put around trees yesterday.down in pile it has actually turned to dirt...as in that dark stuff i see in my deep rich woods dirt.its all turning now.when the piles were younger it was full of giant earth worms and tons of babies.now when i get this to use theres hardly any in it.i would assume they have mostly used up what they wanted and traveled on....any thoughts to this?
underneath those chips the cloves were planted in black rich soil.i put chips on afterwards to see if i could suppress some weed growth .
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Post by elkhound on Apr 11, 2015 15:30:31 GMT
heres a bed of store bought cloves i wanted to try.since i want to expand my martin garlic.i planted it much later and i thought it was a bust and i didnt mulch it.its a raised bed of old hickory logs and is in my bottom where all the cold air flows to.to my surprise not only has it done well its doing extra good in my mind.theres 90ish stalks in this bed.one reason i done this was a friend canned tomato juice last year and he put in one clove of garlic per quart.boy howdy is that some tastey stuff.i will be putting out at least 70 tomato plants this in an effort to duplicate his efforts in such a fine drink.to me it was like a fine wine....cheers.   |
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Post by elkhound on Apr 11, 2015 15:41:35 GMT
another side note...heres a patch of ramps i planted out april 28,2012.they bloomed and produced seed heads and i was sorta disappointed in they had expanded like i thought.i later realized from reading it takes 2 seasons for seed to germinate sorta like ginseng does.yesterday after looking closer i can see small ramps coming up outside my grid pattern i put these in and in between the original ones i planted.so this is turning into a slight success.i have an ounce of seed i am going to try and force after finding said instruction for this procedure.  |
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Post by paquebot on Apr 11, 2015 16:05:22 GMT
Nothing wrong with store-bought garlic. It's almost always a softneck with cloves which are just right for canning or pressing. If you want smaller ones, look for a Spice World display. There will be 2 small bulbs packed in a box. They are not rejects from a larger variety but remain small. They can be planted at 5" spacing and produce quite well and always the same small size.
The wood chip pile is breaking down to humus. At that point, there is no longer much NPK and it is mostly carbon. If there were a lot of worms in there before and none now, they've consumed what was available and have moved elsewhere in search of food.
Martin
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Post by Woodpecker on Apr 11, 2015 17:03:14 GMT
I planted some of Martin's garlic in the fall and they are just starting to grow. I was thinking of putting Timothy hay over the patch as I don't have any straw.
ETA : I just looked and think what I thought was garlic bulbs are flower bulbs, they look nothing like the pictures posted here. I had some but after the harsh winter it's gone. Does anyone have any to share? I would be more than happy to reimburse you.
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Post by willowgirl on Apr 11, 2015 21:31:02 GMT
Martin, the garlic that Numb got from you last fall is doing great too! Thanks!
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Post by paquebot on Apr 11, 2015 22:52:53 GMT
Not much chance of getting any hardneck variety to plant now. Spring planting of that type is almost history now with the whole industry having gone to fall planting. Softnecks are the only ones available now. I've got lots of Martin's bulbils left but mostly small ones which would only make about a 1½" bulb. Not too late to plant them. Could send 100 or so for $5 if one has the space for that many.
Martin
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Post by Woodpecker on Apr 11, 2015 23:11:57 GMT
Not much chance of getting any hardneck variety to plant now. Spring planting of that type is almost history now with the whole industry having gone to fall planting. Softnecks are the only ones available now. I've got lots of Martin's bulbils left but mostly small ones which would only make about a 1½" bulb. Not too late to plant them. Could send 100 or so for $5 if one has the space for that many. Martin Thanks Martin, I'll wait till the fall. |
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Post by feather on Apr 12, 2015 0:34:43 GMT
We planted 420 Martin's garlic cloves. Sold out of bulbs in 2014. We are going to sell Martin's bulbs in 2015. We are not selling bulbils unless they are reserved by June (because we sell the scapes and don't let the bulbils develop unless they are reserved). Martin has the best deal for bulbils.
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Post by Awnry Abe on Apr 12, 2015 3:36:58 GMT
"Martin garlic". Isn't that cool to hear, Martin? You should see your progeny up in our beds. You sent DW a set of bulbs a couple of years ago. She has continued the propagation since. This is the first year she planted bulbils. We will have garlic forever at this rate.
Isn't it interesting to see an online community connected to a real thing: garlic bulbs sent in the mail?
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Post by paquebot on Apr 12, 2015 14:20:27 GMT
In case anyone missed it in 2013, Martin's was sold by the biggest seed company in the US, Burpee. As with every other company that carried it, quickly sold out. Other than WeGrowGarlic, first commercial company to carry it was Filaree who originally started with 8 pounds. Since then, they've also sold out early every year.
Martin
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Post by Woodpecker on Apr 12, 2015 15:27:59 GMT
I'm proud to know you Martin, you are such a wealth of knowledge.
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