Things I try to Grow ...... 10/1/11 update

[tjohnson]

Dang!

What a spread!

Todd

 

[roller]

When it starts to flower on top.

 

[hurriken]

Thanks Roller. BTW, love the picture with the coffee cup. It would make for good desktop wallpaper!

 

[daveomak]

I'm growing a different variety of garlic (first attempt) when will I know it's ready for harvest?

Hurriken, Evening. If you are growing hardnecks, I cut the flower stalk off at the top leaf when the stalk starts to straighten and becomes "woody". That is a sign the garlic is "hardening off" to produce seed in the flower head. Cutting it off tricks it into thinking the seeds are gone and puts extra energy in the head to form larger cloves. Then when there are 4 green top leafs and the others are browning, dieing off, I dig it and peel the outer wrappers to leave 3 good leaves and wrappers on the garlic head. Hang to dry in the shade with a fan.

Quote:

Dang!

What a spread!

Todd

Thanks Todd. It sure is a nice place. I love it.
 

 

[daveomak]

Thanks Roller. BTW, love the picture with the coffee cup. It would make for good desktop wallpaper!

Be my guest. You are welcome to use it. I get 20% of the royalties......HAHAHAHAHA
 

 

[nwdave]

Beautiful looking garlic.  My daughter, here in the Denver suburbs wants to start garlic and I'm showing her your pictures for an incentive.  I got her to plant some ball squash (an idea from one of our members in England) and they're doing gangbusters (after I weeded them).  Some of the balls are bigger than softballs and growing.  Guess I better leave some green thumb here before heading back. 

~Dave

 

[daveomak]

Beautiful looking garlic.  My daughter, here in the Denver suburbs wants to start garlic and I'm showing her your pictures for an incentive.   I got her to plant some ball squash (an idea from one of our members in England) and they're doing gangbusters (after I weeded them).  Some of the balls are bigger than softballs and growing.  Guess I better leave some green thumb here before heading back. 

~Dave

Dave, mornin'. Good for you. Gardening is gratifying. Let her know, garlic can take 3-5 years to acclimate, to the type of soil it is planted in, to get really large, beautiful heads and cloves. This is the 5th year I have planted these same heads. Save the largest heads and plant only the largest cloves from the heads for the next seasons crop and she should get some beauties in the upcoming years.

How's the trip going ??? My nephew lives in Iliff, 10 miles east of sterling. Been there twice and love it.
 

 

[alblancher]

Amazing how the different parts of the country have different gardening seasons.  Down here it's to darn hot outside for everything except summer peas, okra and melons.  You get a late start but those 16 hour days make up for it.

Good going

Al

 

[daveomak]

Amazing how the different parts of the country have different gardening seasons.  Down here it's to darn hot outside for everything except summer peas, okra and melons.  You get a late start but those 16 hour days make up for it.

Good going

Al

It's great in the summer........16 hours of darkness in the winter provides lots of time for......................plowing snow....shopping at 24 hr wmart......

smokin' great food........eatin' great smoked food..........cold smokin' using the heating element in the MES 30...............and planning for spring.....

 

[oldschoolbbq]

VERY nice

 

[mco]

All I can say is WOW looking great

 

[hurriken]

My "leaves" are starting to die off but I don't have any stalks of flowers at all. Some of the cloves are showing so I covered them with dirt. Should I keep waiting?

 

[meateater]

Some how I missed this, what a great garden ! 

 

[daveomak]

My "leaves" are starting to die off but I don't have any stalks of flowers at all. Some of the cloves are showing so I covered them with dirt. Should I keep waiting?

Hurriken, Evening. Do you know what variety of garlic you are growing ??? Early and late California do not have stalks. The varieties with stalks are usually heirloom varieties from northern climes and are planted in October and harvested in july.

If your leaves are brown, dig and dry in a shaded area with ventilation for a few weeks.

 

[barneypoo69]

Dave, you have a beautiful place. Keeps you busy I'm sure. Here in Central Texas (live a few miles south of Austin, Texas) its been very dry & we have had 90 days of 100F or hotter. So this years gardens didn't produce too much (couldn't keep them watered). We did get some plumbs.....I peeled, sliced, roled in brown sugar & cinnamin, put in a bought crumbled pie pan, poured some butter on it & baked it.....my 1st try was pretty good. pray we get better weather next year.

Now that I know about this area of the forum & your garden & others....I'll be back.

Thanks for the info on the garlic....and the other gardens...

 

[daveomak]

Dave, you have a beautiful place. Keeps you busy I'm sure. Here in Central Texas (live a few miles south of Austin, Texas) its been very dry & we have had 90 days of 100F or hotter. So this years gardens didn't produce too much (couldn't keep them watered). We did get some plumbs.....I peeled, sliced, roled in brown sugar & cinnamin, put in a bought crumbled pie pan, poured some butter on it & baked it.....my 1st try was pretty good. pray we get better weather next year.

Now that I know about this area of the forum & your garden & others....I'll be back.

Thanks for the info on the garlic....and the other gardens...

Barney, mornin'... You are welcome..... Tell me about this plum pie.... Was that a pie tin that had graham cracker crumble already in the bottom ?? Sounds good...

I have 5 gallons of Italian plums, just harvested, that I was thinking of making dried prunes out of the ones we don't eat fresh... I don't know if they are peelable or not.... How do you peel a plumb ?? Dave

 

 

[chefrob]

dave....great lookin' space! still using the garlic ya sent, great stuff! ya know down here we can grow stuff too..............dried sticks seem to do well in our summer heat!

 

[daveomak]

dave....great lookin' space! still using the garlic ya sent, great stuff! ya know down here we can grow stuff too..............dried sticks seem to do well in our summer heat!

Rob, morning... sorry about the dried sticks... Our summer was cold... never hit 100 deg.. nights below 50 all summer which put a hold on the garden trying to grow... But finally the tomatoes are coming on a month or more late...

we planted 16 roma plants and have harvested about 800 tomatoes so far. At least another 400 or more to go... Nights are starting to freeze so that harvest is in limbo... Green maters are going in the store room soon to ripen...

We have filled the kitchen table 3 or 4 times in the last 2 weeks and bride has been canning every 3 days or so.  At least we are getting some reward for the effort... Dried maters with basil and sea salt... canned for sauces and salsa.. Must have 3 gallons of raspberries in the freezer in the last 2 weeks... 3 gallons of corn kernels frozen... Dried the grapes into raisins... Holy crap this last 3 weeks has been really busy trying to get all the crop taken care of...

Garlic will be going in the ground in about 2 weeks... Have 15 gallons of walla walla sweets in the drying shed.. Shallots ready to go back in the garden with the garlic... Brussel sprouts are the size of small grapes, don't know if they will mature.. Got the new alfalfa field planted and the irrigation changed around.. We have water but no heat to grow stuff...Dave

Still had time to make strami though..

 

 

[billyj571]

Nice looking garden, love the garlic Dave. How about sending some over the mountains ???

 

[barneypoo69]

Sorry Dave,still trying to remember this part of the forum. you are a full time farmer my friend. As for peeling the plumbs, I'm sure you could teach me how (I used a potatoe pealer) & yes it was a graham cracker pie pan).

We still haven't got any rain but it has cooled off some....still fire danger here in Central Texas