The Old Folks Home

[Cynthia12]

Thank you, I love living in this valley, surrounded by these huge mountains. My back porch view is very pretty also, can see it better in the winter when the leaves are all off of the trees though.

 

[FridayYet]

Utah has some gorgeous scenery. My parents used to live in Ogden, and we would drive from SoCal to go see them and go exploring.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I don't braid mine either. Used to but it really is a major pain for us Deb, literally, because up north you can only grow the hard neck varieties.

I never made that correlation but that has to be why it's so difficult to braid them!

Hmm, guess I see my screw up now. Tried garlic before, no luck. Planted 36 this fall, all came up in our super mild winter in Dec, then snow and cold....Only one came back this spring, transplanted it cause I used the area for corn and beans beings there was only one, it died... I think it was soft neck, was thinking like onions, longer storage varieties are for the north, soft neck stores longer, oops.
Think I'll try one more time this fall, and make sure they are hard necks. Guess I should have thought of it when hearing you have to remove the scapes, soft necks don't have them.

They really are pretty simple to grow. I will put them in sometime in October (weather depending). They'll start to sprout a bit, then they'll die over winter. They'll come back up in spring. Then all you have to do is fertilize a few times (duck water is great but I've also used compost tea) in early spring, then wait for the scapes and cut them as soon as you see them. The more the scapes are allowed to grow the less bulb you'll get. I missed a few scapes this year and left them after I noticed just to test the theory. Yup.



Cyn, gorgeous pictures, thank you for sharing. I miss Dsqard living in Utah and sending me photos of the scenery. The only thing she sends me pictures of now is the dash thermometer

 

[Wisher1000]

They really are pretty simple to grow. I will put them in sometime in October (weather depending). They'll start to sprout a bit, then they'll die over winter. They'll come back up in spring. Then all you have to do is fertilize a few times (duck water is great but I've also used compost tea) in early spring, then wait for the scapes and cut them as soon as you see them. The more the scapes are allowed to grow the less bulb you'll get. I missed a few scapes this year and left them after I noticed just to test the theory. Yup. 



Cyn, gorgeous pictures, thank you for sharing. I miss Dsqard living in Utah and sending me photos of the scenery. The only thing she sends me pictures of now is the dash thermometer

About these scapes of which you speak..... What is it, exactly.  My garlic, two varieties, have blade leaves.  They grow up from the bulb and are in a circular pattern that is thick at the base near the bulb.  Is the "scape" part of that or something else that I have never noticed/seen? 

Funny, this braiding discussion.  I braided mine, with no skill or prior training, just so I could hang them outside.  I wasn't going for "pretty," and didn't get it either.     I'll send a pic. 

Okay, two pics...front and back.........

 

[superchemicalgirl]

About these scapes of which you speak..... What is it, exactly. My garlic, two varieties, have blade leaves. They grow up from the bulb and are in a circular pattern that is thick at the base near the bulb. Is the "scape" part of that or something else that I have never noticed/seen?

Funny, this braiding discussion. I braided mine, with no skill or prior training, just so I could hang them outside. I wasn't going for "pretty," and didn't get it either.

I'll send a pic.

There's 2 types of garlic - hard and soft neck. Soft neck is what you generally grow in the south and is likely what you're growing. Hard neck is what is grown up north and is able to withstand the "heaving" of the ground in winter as it freezes (and thaws) but doesn't store as long once picked. Only hard necks grow a scape. Scapes are the sexual reproduction of the plant - it's a long round "blade" that forms a flower on the end. Let me see if I can find a picture.

http://madisonandmayberry.typepad.com/madison_mayberry/images/2007/07/23/garlic_scapes.jpg

This might also help: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gourmet-garlic-hardneck-vs-softneck-zbcz1404.aspx

 

[Wisher1000]

Yes, that helped. Our neighbors on top of the hill (the ones with the cows) had a patch of hard necked garlic in their pasture. I remember seeing the scapes and thinking the plant had an interesting structural element. Thanks!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I'm surprised the cows didn't eat it. The goats love it.

 

[perchie.girl]

Very interesting

 

[Athaid]

Hey, chemical girl, what made you pick that name? Are you a super hero, cause that would make you very cool if you were.

 

[Wisher1000]

Yes. Yes, she is.