As autumn continues to meander across the calendar the garden is getting more & more attention. I just love winter gardening ~ possibly because I have more success with it than the summer plants that seem eternally thirsty in the blistering heat of the sun. Winter seems so much more gentle on it's plants with beautiful, cool days & frosty, cold nights ( although only light frosts up here on the hill ~ that may be critical to my success ). I think that autumn days are designed for gardening. The middle of the day is the perfect time to spend out in the garden, getting your hands dirty in the soil & encouraging new skills in the children! We just love taking our lunch break outside amongst God's beautiful creation!!
One of my favourite winter plants to grow is garlic!
Here in Australia, the saying goes that your garlic should be planted by Anzac Day (April 25th). I know that I'm a couple of weeks late in posting this & I was slightly late in planting mine, but I don't foresee it being an issue. Should you plant in the next few weeks I'm sure that you will achieve a harvest next summer (God willing of course). We have only just used up last year's harvest, so this year I've planted double the amount I did last year in the hope that it will last a little longer in 2014. Of course ideally I'd love some leftover to use as seed next autumn as well.
I went outside to take some pictures of our garlic gardening. Zai (who was my assistant) wanted to take it one step further & do an instructional video for you all on how to plant garlic!
Who could resist those big, brown eyes & although I'm sorry for interrupting so much, I do think this is cute & something we will treasure as he gets older. Who knows ~ maybe it will encourage you to plant your garlic as well!! Home grown garlic is just delicious & as with all homegrown produce, it's wonderful to know exactly where it's come from & so very satisfying to know that it's gleaned directly from your own garden.
Notes:
* If you are going to plant garlic, always purchase local garlic & make sure it hasn't been treated or bleached.
* The bigger the cloves, the bigger your head should be ( depending upon growing conditions of course). Try & get nicely sized cloves to plant.
* Plant garlic in loose soil.
* After you've finished planting, mulch, mulch, mulch ( I am a big believer in mulching)!
* Whilst the tops are still green, trim them & use them as a gentle garlic seasoning in your favourite meals or salads! (I plant a couple of full heads for that very purpose).
 |
| The garlic bed is loosely mulched ~ don't worry, the garlic will grow through it! |
Have a wonderful day friends!
Blessings
Joining up with:
.jpg)