Friday Favorite: Garlic Harvest
There’s something about harvesting things that are buried underground. It’s like a treasure hunt. You never know quite what to expect when you plunge the spade into the ground.
This year was especially exciting because I followed a friend’s advice. Susan from Moonlight Mile Herb farm mulches her garlic with litter from her chickens coops in the spring. She spreads it right on, straight from the coop. It’s always claimed that this should NEVER be done, because chicken manure it way too hot to put directly on crops. Let me me tell you, it’s the perfect mulch for garlic!
The chicken litter mulch provided some of the best moisture retention I’ve ever had with mulch. The fertilization was perfect as well. My garlic is AMAZING this year!
Another benefit is that the chicken litter kept the weeds from germinating as well, perhaps it heated up the soil enough for them to germinate under the mulch? You can bet I’ll continue using this method for years to come. I’ll also be experimenting with using fresh chicken litter on other crops (nothing that gets eaten raw within 3 months of application though).
What’s your favorite crop to harvest?
Filed under Around the Garden, Friday Favorites, harvest | Comments (5)
Wowza! I just ordered some to plant for the first time. Maybe I’ll try that too! I really hope I get a good yield
to Gretchen's comment
I’m with you – root crops are some of my favorites. garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes… I also like to harvest early spring crops like asparagus and the greens from overwintered bunching onions.
to Joan's comment
Ooh, great tip! I’m thinking of throwing some on when I first mulch the bed in the fall, and maybe toss a mid-winter coop cleaning on there too, while it’s still frozen. Thanks!
to Sara's comment
I think the reason I love growing potatoes is the treasure hunt aspect of digging them up. So fun! Thanks for the compost tip as well. I also love to grow tomatoes; walking through the garden eating cherry tomatoes also feels a little like a treasure hunt as well.
to Kristen's comment
Susy, my favorite crop to harvest would sweet corn …. if I could ever get to do that. Next year will be the first year that I have a chance to defeat the pesky raccoon. One of my blogger friends named my plan to secure the corn next year “the building of a fortress”. There’s three barriers to get through before the raccoon can get to the corn. One is the six foot wooden fence that is nearing completion after three years; another is the four foot chicken wire fence around the corn patch inside the wooden fence; and the last is the three electric wires around the chicken wire fence spaced at six inches, eighteen inches and three feet. If they get through all that, then I guess they deserve to have some. So, here’s to the corn harvest of 2016. :-)
Have a great garlic harvest day.
to Nebraska Dave's comment