Change your bulb.
Everyone knows fall is a great time to plant bulbs. This year why not try something a little different?
Garlic.
This delicious bulb is easy to plant and the steps are simple. Start with a nice full head of garlic – best to use one from the Farmers Market rather than one from the supermarket which could have been treated. Break apart the cloves but leave the paper husks on. Plant the cloves about 2” deep and 4” apart in sunny well-drained soil. Cover with a layer of mulch and check back in spring. Cut off flowers in spring to guarantee the biggest bulb, fertilize if the leaves start yellowing. Harvest when the tops turn yellow and start to flop over. Use a spade to dig up the bulbs, brush them off and let them cure in a shady spot for two weeks. When the husk or wrapper is dry and papery and the bulb is hard the garlic is ready to store.
I was a speaker at the MNLA Winter Forum a few years ago and talked with fellow speaker Brie Arthur who was a huge fan of growing edibles in the garden. Garlic was a particular favorite. Not only was it pretty but Brie said it kept a lot of the browsing animals away. In fact, she routinely used edibles among her annuals and perennials. Sounds better than bird netting to me! Brie told me her favorite garlic was called ‘Music’. I have ordered it and am ready to plant.
Next summer I should have all the fixings for pizza!
Got Garlic Mustard?
Now I am not asking because I am making a sandwich.
The garlic mustard I am talking about is not some artisan condiment; rather it is a noxious weed. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) is a biennial that grows a leafy rosette in its first year and flowers in its second. The leaves are alternate and somewhat heart-shaped.
Garlic mustard is so called because when its leaves are crushed they smell like…garlic. This helps identify this weed from look-alikes.
Garlic mustard grows in sun or shade. Its roots exude a chemical substance that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. And one plant can produce up to 5000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for up to 5 years. It’s easy to see why garlic mustard is such a problem to control. Large stands of garlic mustard can quickly take over a woodland, choking out natives and wildflowers.
The most effective way to control garlic mustard is by hand pulling as it is flowering – before it sets seed. It is important to grab from the base and remove the entire root; I find that weeding is best done after a rain as things are softer. What about large areas of the weed? Still, hand pulling seems like the right option. Although herbicides can also be used, just make sure that directions are followed. Herbicides will not kill garlic mustard seed which is why hand pulling even after an herbicide application is important. Any plants that are pulled should be bagged and put in the trash as they will continue to flower and set seed. Mowing will not work and can actually be counterproductive. Mowing between May-September can actually spread the ripening seed pods.
Last year I spoke with Ellen Zachos who is a forager and she turned me on to eating a good portion of my garden. You can do the same with garlic mustard. Here is a great link that shares many yummy options on “The Forager’s Feast”
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