The Secrets of Growing Huge Garlic

curing the garlic

Growing garlic can be somewhat of a mystery to some people, especially those who have tried to grow it, and it just didn’t turn out right. However, once a few key things are learned about growing garlic, it becomes a very easy thing to do! I love to grow my own garlic and never have to buy garlic. It is NOT hard to grow enough to last you the whole year. Here are the 3 main secretes to growing nice large bulbs of garlic:

1. Plant the cloves in the fall. You only want to plant one little clove- not the whole bulb when growing the garlic. This will produce a bulb by the next spring. If you plant more than one clove in a single hole, then you will get 2 smaller bulbs the next year. By planting one clove, you will get a nice big bulb.
2. Space them about 6 inches apart. Garlic dose not like competition so planting them too close to each other or to other plants will prevent the bulb from growing to the maximum size. We made the mistake of inter-planting them in the strawberry patch the first year we grew them, and they did grow, but the end results were very small bulbs the next spring.
   

   This is what happens when the garlic is left and not harvested, or planted too close.

3. Keep planting them every year. Over time, your garlic bulbs will get acclimated to your yard and by planting mostly large cloves, you will harvest nice big bulbs. Our bulbs have gotten bigger each year. I harvest them in June- dry them by hanging them over the cucumber trellis then in October I take a few bulbs and separate the cloves and plant enough to last all year the next year.

I do not worry about watering them through the winter and spring- just when it starts getting hot. However some warm dry climates might need to water them if there is no source of moisture for the bulb through the winter. Growing garlic is so easy and fun to do once you understand these three essential things, just remember to plan ahead as you are harvesting last years planting with garlic.

Happy Gardening!

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5 Easy Tips For Growing Better Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes can be so much fun, but wouldn’t it be nice to get more from fewer plants? Here are a few tips when planting and growing those tasty tomatoes.

1. Chose small Tomato plants– If you are buying a tomato plant from a nursery or if you have grown your own, you might want to choose the smaller less established plants because they do better being transplanted, and will most likely produce better and get  bigger than those gallon sized tomato plants!
2. Clip the lowest leaves off the tomato– When you are planting the plant, dig the hole extra deep and clip

How to Grow Garlic

Garlic is such a great thing to add to your garden because it is so easy to grow, and you should never have to buy garlic again! The one thing you should realize is: Garlic should be planted in the fall. I have talked to many people who have made the mistake of planting garlic in the spring with the rest of their garden, and not getting a harvest of garlic. If you have made this mistake, just leave it in the ground until next year, or even the fall. the bulbs will be small, but you can harvest them and then pull the biggest cloves off and replant them in the fall for a good harvest next year. For those just starting out growing garlic, here are a few simple steps:

1. Choose– chose what variety you like and want to grow in your garden. You can order them from companies that grow lots of garlic, or you can pick some up from a local gardening center. You would be amazed at the amount of varieties you have to choose from.
2. Plant– pull of the separate sections of the bulb

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Growing strawberries is not hard, they like to spread and perpetuate themselves, however, if left to themselves, the production and size of your strawberries will go down .

The key to a big strawberry is a big plant with nice big healthy leaves that it grows on. So how do you get that to happen?

1. After the snow first melts in the spring, cover your patch with a row cover to start warming it up and giving the plants a head start on growth. Just remember that they might need to be watered as the water dose not get through the row cover a s easily as if there were no cover. You will be amazed at how much this helps them grow.
2. Renovate the patch right after the harvest of strawberries is over. They need enough space to

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1. Sunlight– How much sunlight will your plants need. Most likely if you are growing vegetables they will need AT LEAST 8 hours of sunlight a day during the growing season. If you have a shady yard, this can be addressed by building a grow box with a bottom and on wheels that you can move throughout the year to get enough sun light. Or you could consider growing your vegetables interspersed in the landscaping of your yard.
2. Proximity– Having a location that is close to the kitchen door is ideal,

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