It’s always busy at my Bedford, New York farm. My outdoor grounds crew is working hard to complete our long list of autumn tasks - including planting our next crop of garlic.
Although garlic can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked, fall planting is recommended for most gardeners. This allows extra time for the bulbs to grow and become more flavorful for the summer harvest. Every year, we plant a big crop of garlic from Keene Garlic, a family owned farm in Wisconsin that sells certified organic and naturally grown gourmet bulbs for both eating and planting. Garlic is great for cooking and very good for your health. It is well known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and carries many antioxidant properties. Knowing that I also grow the garlic myself makes it even more special.
Enjoy these photos.
It’s always very exciting to get a delivery from Keene Garlic filled with a variety of garlic bulbs for my garden. I have been planting Keene Organics garlic for several years and am always so pleased with their growth and taste. Here are all the different varieties we are planting this year plus some new ones Keene wanted us to try.
Ryan prepares the garlic for planting – each bulb is carefully broken to separate all the cloves. For the best results, plant the largest cloves from each bulb and save the smaller ones for eating.
When planting garlic, look for the largest most robust bulbs. There are always about three or four bulbs in each netted pack, and each bulb contains at least four to six cloves – some even more.
For the preparation process, Ryan gathers fish emulsion, isopropyl alcohol, a strainer and some plastic containers. Fish emulsion is an organic garden fertilizer that’s made from whole fish or parts of fish. It’s easy to find at garden centers or wherever gardening supplies and fertilizers are sold.
Ryan soaks the garlic in isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, for about 20-minutes. This helps to sterilize the cloves. If you don’t have alcohol, you can also use hydrogen peroxide or vodka.
After the garlic is soaked thoroughly in alcohol, Ryan uses the strainer to remove the liquid.
Next, he creates a solution of fish emulsion…
… and a bit of baking soda and water for each container.
Ryan fills the containers with the baking soda water to ensure all the garlic is covered. This will give the garlic a fertilizer boost and rid them of possible diseases, which could have been carried by the garlic. It increases bulb size. It also increases the size of the bulb by giving the plant food before putting it to bed for the winter.
The cloves are all left to soak in the baking soda and fish emulsion mixture for at least 30-minutes or up to overnight. And then they are drained.
This happens to all the garlic and then they are left to dry thoroughly.
All the garlic is returned to their mesh bags for easy transport to the garden bed – this year located in the far southwest corner of the new vegetable garden.
This bed was previously used for our potato crop, but it was completely cleaned, fed and cultivated before our garlic arrived. Cultivating accomplishes two things: removing any weeds from the garden bed and loosening the soil to optimize the retention and penetration of air, water and nutrients for the plants. Now, Phurba is measuring where the garlic will be planted. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, already determined how many rows would fit in this bed and how many garlic cloves would be planted in each row.
As the rows are made, Brian positions each clove. When planting multiple rows of garlic, be sure the rows are at least one-foot apart.
it is also important to give each clove enough room to grow and develop. They should be planted at least several inches from each other.
The majority of garlic in the US is planted from mid-October through November before the ground freezes. We have not yet had our first freeze, but maybe it will come this week.
To make the holes for planting garlic, Phurba uses a dibble or a dibber.
Cloves should be at least three inches deep. Be sure to plant the tip of the clove faced up, and the root side faced down.
If the soil is well cultivated, this should be a fast and easy process. Phurba is a very fast planter.
Here, one can see the garlic in the hole – just deep enough. Once the garlic clove is in the hole, simply back fill the hole.
The garlic crop will tolerate some shade but prefers full sun. This garlic will be ready to harvest mid-July to August. I can’t wait.
The same is done for the Elephant’s garlic. Elephant Garlic is actually a leek that resembles garlic in growing and in appearance. It has a very mild flavor.
Ryan positions all the Elephant’s garlic in a narrow bed next to all the other garlic.
And finally, the beds are raked and well-labeled, so we know what garlic is what. The bed is given and good drink of water and that’s it – we wait until next year to harvest. If you’ve never grown your own garlic, give it a try – it’s so easy and so rewarding. Go to the Keene Garlic web site to learn more!
Another hoop house here at my Bedford, New York farm is almost ready to fill with plants, and just in time - cooler weather and possible frost are expected next week.
Over the last few days, my outdoor grounds crew has been busy moving a small hoop house from an area next to my main greenhouse to a location adjacent to another hoop house near my boxwood nursery. I have four hoop houses in all. They are constructed from steel frames and polyethylene panels. It was a big project to move it - there were many steps involved to get it done, but I know it will be put to very good and much needed use.
Enjoy these photos.
Moving a hoop house is a very time consuming task, but it just seemed right to have most of the structures in one place. Here is the new location for the smallest of my hoop houses – just outside my former vegetable garden. My property manager, Doug White, measured the area and put down a good, level bed of gravel for the structure.
Next, the propane tank that will fuel the heater is installed. These hoop houses are temperature and humidity controlled. They work by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment.
All my hoop houses are Gothic style – notice the pointed arch in the roofline. This design minimizes snow accumulation in winter.
Here is the front panel with a single door for access. On each side of the door is an aluminum shutter which allows air to enter and cool the house on very warm days. Fernando cleans the paneling before the rest of the structure is installed.
The framing is in place. Its high peak will accommodate taller plants in the center if needed.
The frame is made from heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing – all secured with these tension purlin brackets.
It is easier to walk around the interior space when the gravel is small, so Jimmy transports smaller pea gravel to place on top of the larger gravel bed inside.
Jimmy also fills any gaps beneath the horizontal wood boards that support the side framing. A level is used at all times to ensure everything is completely square and plum.
At the back of each greenhouse is a high efficiency Modine boiler and heater. I wanted the greenhouses to have both cold and tempered water for the plants.
Here, Cesar digs the trench for the water pipes.
This is a side view of the hoop house as Doug and Cesar prepare to drape the “skin” over the top from our trusted Hi-Lo.
The fabric comes in two rolls – one is a heavy-duty, woven polyethylene that features an anti-condensate additive to reduce moisture buildup and dripping. The other side contains UV additives that allow the fabric to maintain its strength through the seasons.
The team hoists one roll on top of the frame and then the second on top of the first. The two sheets are well labeled, so there is no confusion as to what side faces up and what side faces down. The fabric is pulled taut at the ends of the framework and secured.
One can see the two layers of “skin.” These pieces are large and will be cut to fit perfectly once they are in position.
This polyethylene fabric is designed to stand up to just about any climate. It also resists rips and tears, so it could last up to 10-years depending on the weather.
The space between the two layers of plastic will be filled with air to keep the hoop house taut, smooth, and insulated. The air layer prevents heat loss at half the rate of single-paned glass.
Cesar secures spring wires, or wiggle wires, in the metal channels that support the plastic.
Here is one channel where the wiggle wire was installed. These three and four foot long spring wires compress and elongate when installed within the metal channels. They are installed all around the structure.
Pete secures the wire at the top of the hoop house and along all the edges.
Here is a view from above – the hoop house is nearly complete. The crew will finish connecting the electric and water systems, and finish any trimming and building. I am so glad we’ll be ready before the cold autumn weather. We may even get the season’s first frost next week.
And just beyond the hoop houses – my gardens and pastures. Look closely and see my handsome Friesians grazing. My farm is so beautiful this time of year.
There's never a dull moment here at my Bedford, New York farm - this week, the hoop house, located behind my main greenhouse, is on the move.
I have four hoop houses on the property - all used specifically for storing tropical plants during the cold season. Recently, I decided to relocate the smallest of the group down to a space near two of the others, just up the carriage road from my chicken yard. This would make maintaining the stored plants easier and free up the area outside the greenhouse for displaying pretty potted specimens. In order to do this, the hoop house had to be dismantled, and slowly transported piece by piece, using our trusted Hi-Lo.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this area in front of my former vegetable garden. Earlier this summer, we measured the space and removed the sod where the small hoop house would go.
The hoop house is not as big as the other three, but is definitely used quite a bit for storing warm weather plants. It is also temperature and humidity controlled and can house a good number of potted specimens at various heights.
The first step was to remove the strong plastic that covers the hoop house. The plastic comes in two layers – one is a heavy-duty, woven polyethylene that features an anti-condensate additive to reduce moisture buildup and dripping. The other side contains UV additives that allow the fabric to maintain its strength through the seasons
Here, Pete removes the wood holding the plastic at the base of the structure. This wood will be completely replaced.
Pete removes the plastic from its side supports…
… And then pulls the plastic off.
The hoop house is now completely bare -just the front and back paneling and the durable metal frame are left standing.
Pete folds up the old plastic, so it can be stored. I am sure it can be repurposed for another project in the future.
All the hoop houses at the farm are equipped with fans and heaters. Inn each house, the electrical systems are located at the back of the enclosure.
These supplies are very heavy. It took four strong men to lift it and move it to the vehicle for transport.
Next, Pete secures the front panel, so it can be forklifted out of its space and brought down to its new location.
Here’s Fernando manning the controls inside the Hi-Lo.
Slowly the front of the hoop house is lifted and moved.
This part of the hoop house is one of two sides made from twin polycarbonate paneling. This one houses the access door and two windows.
Whenever we move anything with the tractors, we always use moving blankets to pad the machinery – taking the time to do this will always protect what is being moved and prevent any damage.
Slowly, the panel is driven down the carriage road…
… all the way to the new site. Pete walks with the panel the entire way to ensure it does not hit anything in its path.
Next, Fernando loosens the supports used for the framing.
All the metal frame piping is removed also. This framework shape is known as gothic style. It is the style I use for all the hoop houses on the farm. I chose it because of its high peak which can accommodate my taller plants.
All the framed pieces are removed and placed onto the forklift of our Hi-Lo.
Here is the last arch put onto the Hi-Lo. The next phase will be to put it all back together again.
And once again, Fernando drives the last pieces of the hoop house down to the new space. In my next blog, I’ll share how it is reassembled in its new space and what we’ll store in it for the winter. Stay tuned.
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