Tag: Homesteading

Planting Garlic in Grow Zone 7a
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Planting Garlic in Grow Zone 7a

Sarah

As we enter fall, it is time to plant garlic (and shallots) before winter arrives. Back in Western Washington, in grow zone 8b, I could often plant into early December – I just had to pay attention to any Canadian freezes that were forecasted. Those came late, though. It was definitely easier gardening for the lazy. But I will say this: growing in West Virginia in 7a has been more productive. I am still picking fully ripe tomatoes. There is something to be said about temperatures in the 80s°F in the first week of October.

However, in the Shenandoah Valley, in zone 7a, I need to be more mindful of the temperatures. As winter approaches, the temperature drops quickly at night, becoming cold. We are in the first half of October, so do not hesitate. It is time to get it done. And don’t forget to plant elephant garlic and shallots, if you plan to do so.

  • Determine the type of garlic you want to grow: Softneck or Hardneck? Hard neck? Spicy or mild? Each garlic variety will have a description talking about its features. To determine how much to buy, consider the number of potential cloves each head contains. And how many plants do you want? You will want to plant enough to eat, and enough to plant next year. If a head has an average of 8 cloves, and you want 64 plants…well, you need eight bulbs. See below for spacing.
  • Figure where you want to plant the garlic: If your groundwater level is high, deep raised boxes can be your friend. Since your garlic will be overwintering, you don’t want it to sit in water and potentially rot. Consider whether rainwater accumulates in the area or if it seeps in quickly. Raised (hilled) rows also work well. Rotate garlic yearly; don’t grow it in the same spot every year. Ensure your garlic receives as much sunlight as possible during the summer.
  • Once situated, weed the bed well, turning it over gently. Add soil or compost as needed on top.
  • Break your garlic up into individual cloves. I wear disposable gloves so I don’t stink for days, but I am a garden princess, it seems.

  • Spacing and planting: I plant in rows 1 foot apart, and since our beds are 48 inches wide (4 feet), I can fit eight cloves across. You want at least 6 inches apart per clove for ample growth.
  • Using a dibble or a broomstick, poke holes into the soil. Drop a single clove in, then cover it with soil and gently tamp it down. Be sure to mark your rows before you cover up.

  • Cover your garlic with straw deeply. Water the straw to hold it down, then walk away for the fall and winter. Unless your fall is hot, don’t worry about watering. If it is in the 60s or lower, you are fine.
  • In late winter to early spring, the garlic will come alive once again and push up through the straw, green stalks rising up. As the weather heats up, you will want to keep it well watered so it grows large.
  • In late spring, if you grow hardneck garlic, you will get garlic scapes. They come up out of the top of the stalk. These are edible, cut off, and enjoy. Diced, they taste like garlic asparagus (I add them to eggs), or I use them to make a pesto sauce. The scapes, if allowed to grow, will turn into a flower head that then produces bulbils. The bulbits can be harvested and used to grow garlic, but it will take 2 to 3 years. Cutting off the garlic scapes allows the bulb in the ground to develop fully. I let 1 or 2 go for the fun of producing the tiny “seeds” and because bees love the flowers – always support your pollinators.
  • Around the end of June/4th of July, quit watering.
  • You will know when to harvest when the tops start turning tawny in color. To harvest, pull gently up to pop out. If the top breaks (and it does a few times at least), gently use a small hand shovel or hand fork to loosen under the roots, being careful not to gouge the garlic.
  • To cure: Shake dirt off the bulb and gather all the garlic. Trim the stalks back, leaving approximately six inches. Please place it in a well-ventilated spot, out of direct sunlight, for a couple of weeks. We have in the past put a wooden pallet over a garden cart in our shop and walked away. The pallet ensures air flow, and the dirt drops down as the garlic dries. Once cured, we trim the stalk back even more.
  • To store for use, we keep ours in a large cardboard box with plenty of space to allow for airflow. We had a cellar that remained at 55°F year-round in our previous home, where we stored our items. Next year, I will store them in our basement. We haven’t had rodent issues with garlic, but your mileage may vary. The key is to keep it cool, in the dark, and dry. If it sprouts, use that for seed garlic first.
  • Saving seed garlic: I pick out any heads (bulbs) where the paper is cracked or pulled back first, or ones I have to dig out. Then I use the biggest after that. These I keep well-ventilated in a cool, dry place and wait for planting time. Then I enjoy the rest of the garlic!
  • And last but not least, if you get garlic that sprouts, just plant it randomly, even if it is from the grocery store. Find a spot, and plant it. Garlic is resilient, and it has a will to grow even if you have a black thumb. The only thing more resilient than garlic is potatoes.

And that is a wrap for the year. I built it, planted it, and put it to bed. Cool temps are coming this week. Fingers crossed this crop does well – half of it is locally grown garlic I sourced.

~Sarah

The New Garden: Getting Closer To Being Done
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

The New Garden: Getting Closer To Being Done

Sarah

In parts one and two, I wrote about building the new garden. Part 3 was about creating a Hugelkultur Raised Bed style. In April, I also discussed my planning.

The real work waited: moving in the soil and filling the beds. The truth is, I had to do a fence before this; had we not had one up, it would have been far faster. But that is the price one pays for having some of the first beds planted and growing, and keeping deer out.

Peas and Bok Choy.

Middle of September. The first beds were filled, and three of the beds were being used to grow food.

14 cubic yards delivered from Maryland, just across the river from us. A rich blend of mushroom compost garden bed soil. It is from a Mennonite-run nursery.

Slowly, the beds are being filled, one Gorilla cart load at a time.

There were good rains this week, which helped the soil settle into the branches below, and showed us which beds needed more soil.

We also pulled all the 5-gallon grow bags out of storage and filled them. They will be ready in the spring to start planting. But also as a backup for soil. I don’t want to leave the soil leftover, sitting out on the lawn, where it will go to waste. Better to fill up bags and have them ready to use.

When I bought this raised bed kit on sale for just $100, I didn’t think about its size. I almost didn’t have enough room, but then we tried it out in front of the gate – and it fit in nicely, and still allowed access to the other beds. The trellis is quite high. But it is bolted to the bed frames for durability. It wasn’t too hard to put together overall. Our youngest son has built all 16 beds.

These are deeper than the other beds. So we added plenty of wood.

And on the other side. Better to do this and let it slowly develop into rich soil.

As the work winds down.

Side angle view. The final beds need soil added.

If you are wondering why I chose raised beds for this new garden, there are a few reasons.

One, we have groundhogs here, and I don’t need them digging up the ground.

Two, I am not getting any younger. It’s okay to want to do less actual work. Build once, top off the soil every year or two. Don’t deal with tons of yearly work.

Three, I appreciate the lower maintenance and ease of gardening, which allows me to continue my other hobbies, such as camping and hiking. I don’t have to till the land over and over, nor spend days weeding with a hoe when it is 80* out.

Four: We have numerous rock seams on our land. It is more work to figure out where to put everything and deal with the seams that are hidden under a thin layer of topsoil. It is also farther away from the house.

But the biggest reason is planting density. It uses less water and produces good crops using square foot gardening.

~Sarah

September In The Garden
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

September In The Garden

Sarah

Summer slips into fall. Well, maybe eventually.

Eastern Black Swallowtail in caterpillar form, eating my Lovage plant. They eventually chewed it down to a nub, then left town, but by the end of the month, it had started to recover.

The chive plant started from seed this spring.

Pea shoots are just starting.

After a good rain, they doubled and tripled in size.

Strawberries.

Merlot Lettuce starts. I grew all the lettuce from seed in August.

Mesclun Lettuce.

Marshmallow herb.

Bok Choy starts. Also grown from seed.

Dual crop Red Raspberry. We got it planted in what will become the raspberry bed, and it shot up so much growth quickly in September, still producing ripe berries almost daily in September.

Eating the first fall crop.

Seeds coming up.

Three of the beds are in full production. Byu the last two days of September we finished filling all the beds.

I think a Buckeye? Happily, on the basil plants.

The second crop of peas is starting to come up.

Transplanted more Swiss chard and kale.

Filling in the strawberry bed with a few herbs.

Mid-September roses. On the 29th, there was still one rose that had just opened.

Sun setting on September 14th.

Herb garden lush.

I had planted a Pineapple Sage in early summer, and while it grew, it struggled where it had been. Once moved to the garden, it finally started flowering. At the end of the month, the entire plant is in full bloom.

Veggies growing.

On the 28th.

The plants have become lush.

The 14th raised bed was filled on the 28th. We added a dual double raised bed at the gate, which was filled on the 29th. My goal had been to have the beds filled before the cool weather arrived, so that we would be ready for an early spring next year.

September is winding down. It rained heavily for a couple of days, promoting growth. The nights are still warm, in the 60s, and the days are in the high 70s to mid-80s.

When we first moved here in late March, I had wondered when I would get a garden built. I am glad I forced myself to push both myself and the kids till we got it done. I feel like it is more my home now.

~Sarah

Fall Planting Schedule For Grow Zone 7a
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Fall Planting Schedule For Grow Zone 7a

Sarah

Fall showed up this week on the calendar in the Eastern Panhandle, but not in the weather. We did get rain, which is essential, after a long, dry August and most of September. It’ll be a while till sweater season. The nighttime temps are still warm, which has encouraged my fall crops that I planted in August. So that is a good thing.

Bush peas, dwarf peas, and bok choy. The other side of the bed has kale and swiss chard growing.

But what do you need to be planning now? What seeds do you need? Fall gets busy, so you need to plan before September is done.

The first “average” frost date for grow zone 7a is October 29th, but where I live in 25442, it is October 19th.

You want crops to have time to get established before there is a risk of frost. Garlic should be planted three to four weeks before the first frost, which is very soon.

The other is tomorrow, we slip to 12 hours of light. Plants need as much light as possible. Even if it is warm, without enough hours of sunlight, they don’t grow well.

What To Plant In The Next Two Months:

Seeds (plant as soon as possible):

  • Dwarf bok choy
  • Dwarf kale
  • Radishes
  • Dwarf lettuces
  • Arugula
  • Small carrot varieties – this is the time for the tiny finger ones, not the arm-length ones.
  • Beets – look for fast-growing types, but you can always eat the greens
  • Spinach
  • Green Onions

You will notice I use “dwarf” often. Why? They are smaller plants and grow to maturity faster. Will you get as big a crop? No, but that is ok! You will enjoy fall greens and crisp vegetables. And that is always better than not planting anything.

Other:

Potatoes. I learned a lesson this first year here – you can grow spring potatoes. But not summer ones, unless they are in the ground. I literally cooked my potatoes this summer, trying for a second crop. I was used to that working back in the PNW. I planted a crop in mid-September, and we shall see how it goes. Sometimes fall crops are ready for harvest; if not, they emerge in very early spring, for an early harvest.

Bulbs:

Elephant Garlic – It can go into the ground at any point from now. Give each bulb 8″ between and a wide row, so it has room to grow. It will grow tall, so plan accordingly to avoid shading lower crops. As the first frost approaches, mulch to protect.

Garlic – plant in the ground 3 to 4 weeks before the first frost, allowing it time to develop roots. You can buy garlic at farmers’ markets, garden centers, online, or, if not easily available, you can buy garlic from the grocery store to plant. However, only buy certified organic so it isn’t sprayed with growth retardants. Before first frost mulch well to protect over winter.

Shallots – pick up bulbs to plant; usually, you can divide them into two separate bulbs. A trick is to buy at the grocery store. Like garlic, make sure it is US-grown and certified organic to avoid the use of growth retardants. Not all varieties can be grown from true seed, so using the bulbs is far easier (especially for fall planting). Plant just below the surface, let it sprout, then mulch to protect it in winter.

Protect Against Frost:

It’s also time to consider protecting late summer/fall crops if necessary. Last year, I had picked up this set of grow tunnel hoops for spring, but then I didn’t open them due to the move. I got them assembled quickly and into a finished bed. Now I can put on frost fabric or plastic quickly. To keep certain things warm.

In action:

Enjoy the time outside before the cold weather arrives. And get the work done as soon as you can.

~Sarah

Trespassers Will Be Composted
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Trespassers Will Be Composted

Sarah

Last fall, I saw a cute sign at a local plant nursery, but it was so expensive I nearly blanched.

I was wandering through Amazon, rotting in bed, when I saw this one:

It was twice the size and perhaps not as rustic-looking, but it was an affordable luxury that I treated myself to. At $9, I was pleased to find that when it arrived, it was in perfect new condition, and it is well-made, of metal, not plastic. The only downside is that the 4 punch holes on it are on the tiny side, so you will need to pick up skinny zip ties. I was out, so I used a metal wire to hold it to our fence.

~Sarah