One of my dreams is to have my very own veggie patch filled with beautiful, tasty veg and I would rarely have to shop for my groceries.
I have vivid memories of my Pops veggie patch where he had made pathways running between the beds so you could easily get in there to water, pick some fresh beans right off the vine or play hide and seek with your brother. Or my Dads one where corn and tomatoes for Christmas morning breakfast (a major family tradition) reined supreme.
For now, I will be content with pillaging my aunt’s garden in Orange (Cheers J!) every month or so when I visit, or for a more convenient supply, make my own potted garden. I will slowly introduce you to different plants that I have growing as this blog progresses, for now, please meet my 2 month old garlic.
Aren’t they beautiful?! I can’t tell you how excited I was when they popped their little shoots out of the soil, I wish I had taken a picture.
It all started with a bulb gifted (not pillaged) to me from my aunts garden. It was a lovely organic, fat and juicy bulb with a pungent flavour and creamy flesh. Some of the cloves went here, and some were roasted and spread on toasted sourdough with goat’s cheese. The last 4 I reserved for planting.
When planting garlic you need to make sure that you pick a good, organic bulb as the garlic that grows from the planted clove will be a clone of the original bulb. Therefore you can expect much the same flavour from your new crop.
In the Southern Hemisphere it is best to plant your garlic towards the end of autumn in an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Make sure your soil is free draining and prepared with manure or, if using a pot, with good organic potting mix.
Plant the cloves pointy end up into the soil down to your first knuckle joint on your finger (about 3 cm) and approximately 10 cm apart.
These should be ready to harvest at the end of spring or early summer once the leaves have died back and dried out.
Stay tuned!
wow planting your own garlic- i didnt ever think of doing this ever what a great idea! you'll have to post up the end results xx
ReplyDeletealso thanks for popping by fit in the city - i really appreciate your comment, its good to balance out all the eating with some healthy things as well :O)
No problem! My goal is to find balance :)
ReplyDeleteIt;s great that you've done your research to ensure a good grop. Can't wait to see your fully grown garlic! It's like waiting for a chicken to hatch, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI've come close to giving up on growing anything edible in my backyard thanks to snails and grubs getting to it before I even have a chance. I now have a planter on an upstairs juliette balcony far away from the critters (until they discover it!) and am growing continental parsley and a purple sage variety. It's such a rewarding exercise!
ReplyDeleteBel - Oh you hit the nail on the head, I wish they didnt take so long! I want to try a fresh bulb too which I saw on Chocolate and Zucchini yesterday.
ReplyDeleteJohn - Tell me about it, I am on the ground floor so bugs are a given. I am having a battle to save the leaves on my two citrus plants at the moment!
Thanks guys for your support I really appreciate it!
These look great. Having your own garden would be amazing!
ReplyDeleteI am embracing my little kitchen garden and I can't wait for spring when I can sow more seeds in the huge planters I have there! Even now, in the midst of winter, I still have lots of fresh herbs and different kinds of lettuce that are growing really well. It's just so nice to be able to walk outside, whilst cooking, and snip a few herbs for your dish :-)
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