Garlic Growing Results - 2013

Now that the garlic has been harvested, cured, cleaned, and sorted, I thought I'd share the results. This was our third year growing garlic, and I can definitely see the improvements that have come with gaining experience. I did a much better job of record keeping this year, which makes it easier to gauge our success. Overall I'm very happy with the yield, and think that we're on the right track.

In Garlic Planting - 2012 I gave the details of both the preparation and planting of the garlic, so will not repeat all of that information here. I do, however, think it is worth summarizing, for those readers who do not wish to read the earlier post. I planted the garlic on November 6th, which was later than I had wanted, but still plenty early enough. The garlic was planted in a bed that had been amended with compost, that I then tilled into the soil. After planting I mulched with a thick layer of straw.

I planted five varieties of garlic this year: Korean Red, Tochliavri, Inchelium Red, Polish White, and Silver Rose. I also planted some garlic seed, which I had purchased on a whim. I had hoped that it would provide me with some green garlic early in the season, but this didn't really work out as planned. I think that I'll stick with planting cloves in the future.

During the spring I harvested a few Korean Red as green garlic. A couple of times this was because it needed thinning, and once it was done accidentally while weeding. On June 6th, exactly seven months after the initial planting, I harvested my first scapes of the season. I was surprised to find, on July 1st, that the Silver Rose, a softneck, had developed scapes as well. I was happy to have more to harvest, since I had discovered the joys of garlic scape pesto following the previous harvest.

On July 2nd I harvested the Polish White, which in hindsight, I believe was too early. The other varieties were harvested about a week and a half later, and looked much better. After curing on the front porch for four weeks I cleaned and sorted the bulbs, and placed them into long term storage in early August.

Results by Variety

Korean Red: The Korean Red was, by far, the best performer. I planted 30 cloves (7.1 oz) and harvested 23 (aside from those harvested green), which weighed a combined 34 ounces. The leaves were a dark green all season, and the stalks were nice and thick. The bulbs were mostly medium to large, and produced the most long term storers. I sat 7 of the 23 aside for planting stock for next year, 6 went into long term storage, and the remaining 10 will either be used right away, or will be processed in some other way. The fact that Korean Red not only performed so well, but is also a hardneck that produces scape guarantee it a spot in the garden next year.

Tochliavri: This is my third year planting Tochliavri, but I'm just not seeing the results I would like. I only planted 8 cloves (2.1 oz), and harvested 6 bulbs (11.1oz). I sat one aside for planting stock, and the remaining will be eaten soon or processed. I'm hoping that maybe results will improve with acclimation to this area, otherwise I will likely not plant this variety again after next year.

Inchelium Red: The Inchelium Red performed moderately well. I planted 13 cloves (2.3 oz) and harvested 10 (10 oz). A couple of the bulbs were nicely sized, but were nothing spectacular. I chose one bulb to be saved as planting stock, placed 4 into long term storage, and will eat or process the other 5.

Polish White: As mentioned above, I may have harvested the Polish White too early. I planted 31 (4.1 oz), but only harvested 13 (12.1 oz). Six bulbs went into long term storage, and the other 7 were set aside for short term use. I did not save anything for planting stock, since the variety performed so poorly.

Silver Rose: The Silver Rose performed better than the Polish White, but not quite as well as the others. The bulbs were small to medium sized, but were overall nice. I planted 17 cloves (2 oz) and harvested 15 (10.1 oz), which was a better yield rate than the other varieties. Perhaps with a bit of acclimation the size of the bulbs can be improved. I sat a couple of bulbs aside for planting stock, put 6 into long term storage, and the remaining 7 will be used or processed in the near future.

The overall yield rate was 67.68%, with Polish White being the lowest at 41.94% and Silver Rose the highest at 88.24%. The others were around 75%. Last year I estimated a 90% yield, which seems exceptionally high compared to this year. The yield, in weight, averaged 4.39 times what was planted. Again, Polish White was the lowest, at 2.95 times. Tochliavri was actually the highest, with a weight of 5.28 times what was planted. The others were in the 4-5 times range.

I still have a lot to learn to get to where I want to be with my garlic growing abilities. However, the results show that I am improving, which is the goal. This is the first year that I've produced anything I felt was suitable to save as planting stock, which I am very excited about. I will be planting even more garlic next year, and am anticipating improved yields, large bulbs, and more candidates for long term storage.

08/10/13

It has been raining a lot lately, so I haven't accomplished much. Of course it doesn't help that I haven't been feeling well, and have been stressed about trying to decide whether we should buy a piece of property adjacent to ours.

Since it was raining today we decided to go to London. Our first stop was the farmer's market. We didn't buy anything, but did spend several minutes chatting with Ford from Sustainable Acres Farm, which is the only USDA certified organic far in the county, and one of the few in the area. I look forward to going out and visiting his farm sometime, since his methods will be much more in line with what Andrea and I are trying to do than the other local farms we have visited.

While in London we also did a bit of shopping. I bought a PVC connector at the home improvement store to see if it would work for the overflow of the rain barrels. If it works out, I think I can pick up a few more items and finish that up.

I thought I was going to be able to get out this evening for a bit, but just before I was ready to go out it started thundering. So, instead, I brought in the garlic that was curing on the porch and trimmed, cleaned, and sorted it. I'm pretty happy with the garlic crop this year, and am very excited to be able to save some for planting stock.

DIY Treatment for Insect Stings

If you do any amount of work outside it is inevitable that you will eventually get stung by some type of insect, whether a bee or wasp or something else. I have learned to be more aware, and look for nests so that I will be less likely to disturb stinging insects. Sometimes, this isn't enough to avoid provoking them, however, and as a result I've been stung three or four times this year.

Each time I've been stung, Andrea has treated the area with a paste made from baking soda and water. I have been amazed at what a difference the paste seems to make. The pain and itching goes away within minutes, and by the next day its difficult to locate the area of the sting. I don't know the science behind why it works, but my experience tells me that it does.

There is really no magic recipe for creating the paste. Simply put a tablespoon or two of baking soda into a container, and then add a small amount of water. You want the mixture to be thick enough that it will stick to the skin, so start with just a little water and then add as necessary. Once you have a nice sticky paste, coat the area of the sting and let it sit. I tend leave the paste until it falls off on its own, but many people suggest you can scrape it off after ten to fifteen minutes.

One of the thing I love about this remedy is that it is easily made with ingredients that nearly everyone has in their own home. I often hear that claim, but then read through the ingredients list and wonder how many people actually keep those items on hand. In this case however, if you do any baking, chances are very good that you have baking soda in your pantry.

I have used the baking soda and water paste to treat stings from red wasps as well as some unidentified stings. I can't be certain, however, if the treatment works equally as well for all types of stings. It is certainly not a replacement for medical treatment for anyone known to be allergic to such stings. While the paste may still help to reduce the pain and itching, I urge you to seek medical treatment if you are allergic, or suspect that you may be. As much as I support DIY and natural remedies, I also realize that in some situations there is nothing better than modern medicine.

08/07/13

I've had a mixed week so far, in terms or productivity. Monday was fairly productive, but I haven't accomplished a whole lot since then.

I was determined to get some stuff done Monday, so I spent my lunch break over at the garden. I managed to mulch most of the peppers, using grass clippings. After work I went back over and finished the mulching. Next I spread wood chips around the strawberry bed, to give us a small weed-free border.

Andrea was very productive on Monday as well. She did some more work on getting our books inventoried and organized. Once it started cooling off she worked on weeding the herb garden, and reapplying mulch to areas that needed it. She also picked another handful of tomatoes.

Tuesday was my day to go to the office. Daisy had a vet appointment, to be spayed, so I dropped her off on my way to the office. Andrea met me in town after work, for our Gardening 101 class. This time we did another farm tour. My favorite part of the tour was interacting with the Great Danes that the owners raise. They dogs were incredibly friendly, and were obviously happy to have someone love on them. After the farm tour we dropped by the home improvement store to pick up some organic fertilizer for the strawberry bed. We're hoping that by doing a bit of work this summer we can improve yields next year.

When I got home Tuesday evening I had an email from the creator of Earthineer, letting me know that the new site was ready for beta testing. I've been looking forward to this, because it allows me to use the experience gained at my job in a really positive way. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of need for volunteers to do software testing for local businesses and environmentally conscience organizations. sometimes I'm tempted to try to learn web design, just so I have a more useful skill for volunteering to help such groups out.

I wasn't feeling great today, so didn't get out to do much, aside from check on the garden and pick another handful of tomatoes. For the most part I spent the evening on the new Earthineer site, searching for problems and making suggestions. I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing that type of work, and found it hard to pull myself away. For that reason I suspect that I won't get a whole lot else done during this beta testing period, unless the weather is just incredibly nice one day. Given the option of working outside on a dreary day, or testing a website, I'll most likely choose the testing.

I also received an email reply today from Jamie Aramini of Sustainable Kentucky. I had written her previously to offer my help with planning the next Kentucky Green Living Fair. While she said that she doesn't have a planning committee, she did have a few questions for me and asked my opinion on a couple of the things that she had planned. I am very glad that there are events such as this in this area, so want to do anything I can to help make the fair a success.

08/04/13

I didn't accomplish a whole lot on Saturday. We spent the morning going to and from London to pick Mari up from the vet. He is certainly doing better, although he is still limping. He was clearly feeling better than when we took, him, though, because he was very talkative and let Andrea hold him for most of the ride. Normally he doesn't like being picked up, so that was a nice change.

Neither of us felt well all day, so we mostly just stayed inside. We did make a trip over to the garden, though, and picked six tomatoes. It is looking like we should have a pretty good tomato yield this year. I definitely think its going to be good for our first attempt. I also fertilized the corn while we were over there.

We have been working on ridding the house of unneeded paper lately, so I've been trying to finish typing up all of my notes from past workshops. I continued working on this on Saturday. I'm also starting to really look forward to the Mother Earth News Fair, so I spent some time going through the current list of workshops, and making a list of those I might be interested in. I was surprised to find that the list contains more than twenty workshops. It appears that I should be able to easily fill my schedule again.

Today I was feeling better, but still spent the first part of the day much like Saturday. I continued typing up notes, and then shredded a bunch of paper. While I was doing this, Andrea was working on getting an inventory of our books. We're starting to find that we can't remember if we own certain books or not, and we wanted to solve that before going to the Mother Earth News Fair. Once it cooled down this evening I got out and tested out the mower. I mowed the strawberry patch, in preparation for getting it ready for the fall and winter. I then headed across the road, which was needing mowed badly. The last couple of times I had mowed over there the mower had messed up on me, so I hadn't completely mowed it in a couple of months. I was able to mow everything that I wanted, and was going back over the area that had been mowed most recently when I ran out of gas. I'm not ready quite yet to say the mower is fixed, but it is looking promising.

Andrea was outside applying the shredded paper to the herb garden when I got back from mowing. She had also been picking blackberries and asked me to drive her over to the garden so she could pick more. She's hoping to pick enough to make another batch of jelly this season.

While today wasn't wildly productive, it was the most productive day I had had in a while. Sometimes its hard to view projects done inside as being as productive as outside projects, but I think the projects we worked on today were important to get done. What we really need to do, though, is improve our timing so that inside projects are done when its rainy or during the winter.

08/02/13

I haven't posted a daily update in several days because I really haven't accomplished a whole lot recently.

Monday was my most productive day. During lunch I fertilized the corn with urine, then added what was left to the compost pile. Then, after work, I decided to work on the mower. I discovered that the nut that had been giving me problems had worked loose again, so I had Andrea help me remove it so I could apply Loctite. I then tightened it again. I think I managed to get it tighter this time than before, so I hope that along with the Loctite that will be enough to keep it from working loose again. After finishing with that I cut a few tree branches that were hanging over the driveway. I still need to cut more, but the are very hard to reach from the ground. I'm hoping to borrow a friend's pole saw to cut the rest of them.

On Tuesday Andrea rode to London with me, and took the car while I was at the office. She met her family and they went to Lexington shopping for the day. They ran a bit longer than expected, so I was left stranded at the office. I was prepared for that possibility, though, so caught up on some reading. It was nearly 7:00 by the time I left the office, and nearly dark by the time we grabbed something to eat and drove home.

It rained on Wednesday, so I didn't go out after work. On Thursday, I planned to try out the mower, but that didn't work out. Andrea took the kittens to the vet for their first checkup and shots. When she got back home with them we noticed that Mari was having trouble walking. We called the vet and after a few questions he verified that it didn't seem to be related to the shots. We decided to take him back in so they could keep and observe him, so I took off from work early and we drove back to the vet. We ran a few errands while we were out, and so I ended up not getting back home in time to really accomplish anything else.

Today I took off from work so I could take Andrea to the dentist. While she was at her appointment I ran some errands around town. I went to the lumber company to get prices on material for the shed I'm planning to build.  I also stopped by a place to get a price on the metal for the roof. While I was out I stopped at a couple of rental places to get the price on a PTO post hole auger, and then checked the price to buy one from a couple of the local farm supply stores. At this point I can't decide if I should rent or buy. 

Since getting back home I've been trying to stay close, so I can do things for her so she can rest. I did run over to check on the garden this evening. We have a few ripe tomatoes that probably need picked tomorrow. Most of the corn is over head high, and there are several ears of corn in various stages of development, the biggest of which is probably eight inches long. I'm excited about having some fresh corn soon.

Concerns About Building with Earth Rammed Tires

I have been a big fan of Earthship Biotecture for several years. In fact, it was my interest in Earthships that led to my interest in other forms of alternative construction methods, which in turn led to an interest in natural building. I own, and have read, all three volumes of Michael Reynolds' Earthship series of books. I've also had the opportunity to visit and tour the Earthship at Blue Rock Station near Columbus, Ohio.

Even as I began to explore other alternative construction methods, I maintained an interest in incorporating earth rammed tires into my plans. I even have a pile of old tires that someone in a nearby town was giving away for free. I figured that it was a good idea to go ahead and start collecting tires, since I would surely be using them in a project at some point in the future.

On the surface of things, what is not to love about the idea of building with a waste product that would likely spend years in a landfill if not put to better use? It seems like the best of both worlds, the tires are being reused, rather than going to a landfill, while at the same time preventing the need for new material to be manufactured for the building process, and saving the homeowner money.

I have began, however, to worry about the potential health and environmental impacts of using tires in this way. Like most topics, information exists to support both sides of the argument. Those who believe building with tires to be completely safe, including Michael Reynolds, say that the tires are not an off-gassing danger, and that by being packed with earth and covered in plaster they are protected from the elements that would eventually lead to decomposition and cause leaching. Those concerned with the safety of earth rammed tires, however, often point to the studies that conclude that tires should not be used in gardens or landscaping applications where edibles plants may come into contact with them. In these situations it has been shown that the tires do leach a toxin that can kill certain plants.

Personally, I don't feel there is sufficient evidence to support either case at this time. In situations such as this, where I feel the evidence does not provide a clear answer, I tend to go with my gut feeling on the subject. When it comes to building with earth rammed tires my feeling is that it is not a risk I'm willing to take. When we build our home, one of our priorities will be reducing our exposure to toxins. I find the idea of surrounding myself with a material that isn't safe to be used in a garden a bit unsettling. This does not, however, mean that I plan to abandon the use of earth rammed tires completely. I am still planning to experiment with them as a foundation for one of the small structures we plan to build. I will just likely limit this to structures that we will not be spending large amounts of time in, or that will house animals.

I would like to make it clear that I am, in no way, trying to dissuade others from building with earth rammed tires. Since I feel there isn't sufficient evidence to prove either their long term safety, or danger, I would not feel right making a recommendation to anyone else regarding this matter. The intent of this post isn't even to highlight the debate over the safety of earth rammed tires, but is simply my way of explaining my changing views on the subject. I will continue to be interested in Earthship Biotecture, and may very well attend an Earthship workshop in the future if one is ever available in my area.