Planting garlic

 I am getting ready to start my garlic seeds in a starting tray and then transplant to the garden this fall. What planting medium do you think would be best for my garlic seeds. I will probably put plants in the garden sometime in late September or early October.

 Bill Mooney

Mohrsville, Pennsylvania

 Any good seed starting soil will work fine for you. I use a Pro Mix, available through our local greenhouse. Be sure they get adequate moisture and sunlight. My question to you is where did you get garlic seed? I’ve never seen it advertised; I’ve always used cloves to start my garlic. — Jackie

 Goats to clear brush

 I have thought often about getting a couple goats to help clear the brambles and weeds that cover our land. I was wondering if meat goats would be able to be left for 24-48 hours if they had water and food and were fenced-in? We must care for family members and often have to leave for a day or two and do not have anyone who could care for them while we are gone. I would like to get them in the spring and then sell at auction in the fall. Does this make sense or is there a better alternative?

 Deborah Motylinski

Brecksville, Ohio

 Goats will, indeed, clear brambles and brush from land. However, they MUST be fenced in with a good fence. An electric fence will not work. Good, tight, woven wire, with stand-off electric insulators on the inside to keep the goats away from the fence is about the only fence that will consistently work. The only trouble with leaving any small animals alone for 48 hours is that they are left vulnerable to predators, which can include neighboring dogs. A couple of steers might be a better choice. If you bought feeder steers (about 400-500 pounds) in the spring and fenced them in all summer, they will clear a lot of brush (but must have some grass or hay, too). They are large enough to not be bothered with Ohio predators, including dogs. You could sell them in the fall or hold one over to butcher yourself in the winter. — Jackie

 Canning cheese

 We have an abundance of milk from our wonderful Jersey cow and I sometimes make cheese using vinegar. I sometimes freeze it but am trying to become less dependent on our freezers. I figure it would be experimental but wanted your thoughts on canning it.

 Missy Steiger

Normantown, West Virginia

 I haven’t had enough cheese to can yet, as I’m making a wide variety of dairy products: yogurt, ice cream, mozzarella, cottage cheese, ricotta, soft white cheese, etc. Plus our cow’s calf is still nursing (I steal evening milk, then put him back into her pen with her for the night and take him out in the morning.) and we are giving a sale barn calf 2 quarts of milk every evening to build him up. BUT when I have an abundance, I will certainly be canning some of it up. Yes, it is “experimental”, but I’ve done it for years with good results. The cheeses do get more sharp with storage, but it sure beats having no cheese! Directions are in my canning book, Growing and Canning Your Own Food. — Jackie

5 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks Zelda, I think I will especially try planting the garlic around the cabbage. We don’t have a huge plot of land, so I try to squeeze whatever I can into limit space…kind of like companion planting. I like the tomato cages for broccoli. In years past the only thing I had to worry about for broccoli was rabbits, but I think I will re-plan the garden for next year and see if I can get more production with a few minor changes. Thanks for the info again! By the way, where are you from with that short of a growing season?

  2. Thanks Zelda, I think I will especially try planting the garlic around the cabbage. We don’t have a huge plot of lan, so I try to squeeze whatever I can into limit space…kind of like companion planting. I like the tomato cages for broccoli. In years past the only thing I had to worry about for broccoli was rabbits, but I think I will re-plan the garden for next year and see if I can get more production with a few minor changes. Thanks for the info again! By the way, where are you from with that short of a growing season?

  3. Bill,
    I have the same experiences as JuliaC and Lisa. My seed from seed heads takes 2 or 3 growing seasons to produce cloves, but I live in a short (87 frost free days and they don’t all happen sequentially) growing season. I’ve also used the bulbils. Both seemed to produce garlic cloves but not the year planted. They also produce good cutting greens that are garlic flavored.

    Lisa, I grow everything in raised beds and low tunnels, One of my beds is used for cabbage each year (although we are supposed to rotate cabbage, I don’t but I do top dress the bed each fall) and I plant garlic cloves close spaced all around the perimeter of the cabbage bed each year. The cabbage bed is covered with TufBell on hoops, but the cabbage moths stil find a way in. They don’t stay long and they don’t land on the cabbages – the garlic seems to repel them. I don’t know if it would work as well if my cabbage were in the open but cabbages in the open interplanted heavily with garlic would be interesting to try.
    If you don’t want a low tunnel, then cover your cabbage patch with floating row cover, the lightest insect barrier weight, and anchor the edges with pins or dirt. No more cabbage damage. Floating row cover comes in large sheets or rolls you can cut to fit your bed. Look for Agribon-15 or lighter, and be sure whatever you buy is the newer fabric that is not abrasive to plant leaves. Lightweight row cover transmits 80-92% of the available light, and you can water through it.
    Works for broccoli too. My broccoli plants are not all in once place. This year I put a small metal wire tomato cage (the round ones) over each broccoli plant, cut a piece of light weight row cover to fit, draped it on the tomato cage down to the ground, and clothespinned it to the metal. No cabbage moths.

  4. Bill,
    I just “sprinkled” my bulbils in the row the garlic was growing. They seemed to migrated down several inches into the soi. This year I will try spinkling them around the roses to help deter a few bugs.

  5. Bill,
    Did you get the seeds from past garlic (seed heads?) I have done that, but for me, it usually takes 2 growing seasons to yield any garlic. I just usually try to plant enough so I have extra cloves to replant. Let me know how they do..I up in MN, so maybe with the longer growing season in PA they do ok. Also Jackie, once again I am jealous of your peppers!! Hoop house must be they way to go especially here in MN. I just finished harvesting the last of my cabbage…got some real nice heads even with the bugs. However, I have probably lost half my broccoli due to excessive rain and heat and bugs! never had problems before this year. Oh well, there is always next year! With all that produce, maybe you should have a canning party, and we could all come with our pressure canners etc and help you!

Comments are closed.