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| This year I got serious about garlic and actually applied about 6" of mulch. My ? is, When do I remove it? Should I wait until I see growth through the mulch? Garlic planted was elephant and german hardneck. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by GarlicGrower Z5MA (My Page) on Thu, Mar 10, 05 at 12:13
| I apply about 3 or 4 inches of mulch. I do not remove it since it's valuable as a moisture retaining cover, a weed suppressor and later after harvest, it enriches the soil. But, if you love to weed, you can remove it ! Happy growing Maryanne in WMass |
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| Maybe I'll just spread it out a bit when the new growth pops thru. Thanks Maryanne |
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| I can't speak to the elephant garlic, but the hardnecks should have no problem punching through 6" of mulch. That is roughly the depth I aim for, usually grass clippings. |
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- Posted by thorspippi z9 CA (Sac) (My Page) on Fri, Mar 11, 05 at 16:01
| If 6" of mulch smothers weeds, wouldn't it smother the garlic too? |
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| Hardneck garlic is notoroiusly determined. This past october I had a few poking out of my mulch already, just daring the frost. If they haven't punched through 2-3 weeks after the ground has thawed can always gingerly check to make sure that they aren't being deterred. I wouldn't worry about it though. |
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- Posted by jayreynolds zone 6/7 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 13, 05 at 7:23
| I've found the elephant garlic is later pushing up, so don't be worried. You could dig and check. |
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| My Elephant garlic is 2' tall and beginning to flop already. I've just begun mulching it lightly with light compost and leaf mold...but should have done so sooner I think, as we had quite the enjoyable L.A.-like drought during Feb/March. Most of the walking onion and garlic cloves martin sent me last fall has barely started to show. Cool Spring Rains have begun however - so all the allium will now grow like crazy, thank goodness. I'm gonna harvest and cook some elephant garlic greens so they don't just rot on the ground. And add a soft top mulch of dry leaves. (please let me know if that is a bad idea - thanx!) |
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| What a difference a Month makes! The Elephant Garlic has doubled, and the cool windy rains of Spring has seasoned and toughened the stalks - not a floppy one in sight. Seems they also liked the leaf mold and coffee grounds I scattered around last month. It's like these EG plants were infused with testosterone! Only One Slug in sight also, and now he's a goner. I'll have a good EG harvest by August... Today I will roast what (I think) is the *last* of the Garlic that Conan bought me at the World-Annual Oregon Elephant Garlic Festival. I'm also growing 2 kinds of Shallots we found at the Fest too. It's an enjoyable source - if you can come to the NW in late August. btw, *most* of the source Someone else had grown impatient and yanked theirs. Very happy they came back - and will feed me, Sun is expected, so they get more leaf mulch TODAY! |
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| All my hard necks are doing great. Most have greens almost a foot tall. The nearby walking onions are also the same height. Just weeded today, and there weren't many to deal with anyway. Its because I put down corn gluten in the garlic patch, as well as in my asparagus patch. |
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| Well it turns out that just adding leaf mold and compost now and then was just great. Here is a photo of just part of my first-ever elephant garlic harvest! The jar overflows with Seed...which forms at the base of bulbs. I got enough for all year - with seed to share - and plenty of cute _yearling_ bulbs and seed to replantr so i'll have sevral years of harvest. All from grabbing an armload of discarded greens found out on a curb in spring of 2004! http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mikalson2002/detail?.dir=d8a2&.dnm=1683. jpg&.src=ph It's so cool that even the round elephant garlic yearlings produce seeed. Plenty for everyone! I might plant the flower seed too - altho that should take years to harvest...if they germinate. The shot below shows how seeds form at the base of elephant garlic bulbs. Individual Cloves can be re-planted too...from teh mature heads - as with regular garlic. In Oregon - we get a season of Fall growt, and all are sure to come back in Spring - with just a light mulch and no watering. So EASY! |
Here is a link that might be useful: all this can be re-planted for future abundance
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