This is so exciting!
About ten days ago we finally planted our first crop, and now it's popping up
out of the ground!
Our farm "Near River" is located in an area that was previously known for it's milk and dairy producing ability - good soils, mild climate and reliable rainfall. Deregulation of the industry and so-called rationalisation has led to that changing somewhat now, but none the less, the main grass that covers the farm is suited to that type of agriculture - Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) and it is tenacious to say the least.
We are committed to bio-dynamic farming practices, which means no pesticide or herbicide use, so removal of the grasses and weeds needs to occur by alternate means - covering the area to block out light with grass slashings, tarpaulins, sheets of corrugated iron, black plastic, etc, and then once the material has died, undertaking the seriously laborious task of turning the soil and removing the runners. This will be a very long term mission, so expect a few more posts about it in the future.
Enough of one of the annual vegetable beds was cleared of the loathed Kikuyu grass and suitable quantities of aged cow manure and similar organic material added to the wonderful dark clay loam soil that covers our market garden paddock, which gave us an area measuring 15.0 m (50') x 1.2 m (4') ready for planting.
And what's so special about garlic I hear you ask. Well in this part of the world, that being Australia, up until very recently, the greater majority of garlic that was available for sale through green grocers and supermarkets was imported, most often from China. And whilst I have nothing against Chinese food stuffs per say, the garlic is usually bleached with chlorine so it is 'nice and white', and fumigated with methyl bromide to kill any 'nasties' that might be lurking in the folds of the plant or attached in bits of soil still clinging to the garlic. And we all need extra chlorine and methyl bromide in our food!
So
we sourced some organic seed garlic, mostly from our neighbour Rick up
the valley a ways. And it was quite simple really - we grabbed any well
sized garlic bulb, removed the 'paper-like' material surrounding the
cloves and broke the cloves into individual pieces, discarding any that
were inferior. We then marked out our rows - our beds are 1.2 m (4')
wide so we spaced the rows 300 mm (12") apart, and spaced the cloves
120 - 150 mm (5 - 6") apart - and then planted the garlic ensuring the
'flat' bottom end faced down and that they were buried about 25 mm (1")
into the soil. Once the planting was complete, the bed was given a good
water, and a light mulch of chipped tree trimmings was applied. Now
what there is to do is keep the beds weed free, and maintain good soil
moisture up until about four weeks before harvesting in our late spring
or early summer.
Botanically, garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the Onion family, Alliaceae, and is related to onions, leeks and shallots. Though difficult to confirm, it is thought to have originated in South Western Asia or Siberia. It has been used for it's pungent flavour as a seasoning or condiment around the world since early times, and was used by the Israelites in Egypt, and while it was rare in traditional English cuisine, garlic has been a common ingredient in Mediterranean Europe.
The medicinal benefits of garlic are well documented, although there is some conjecture as to why or how these benefits occur - reports claiming garlic's use in the prevention of heart disease, lowering of cholesterol, and may assist in fighting cancer exist, and there is even speculation as to whether it is more beneficial if it is consumed cooked or raw.
An excellent website for detailed information on a whole range of vegetables and herbs can be found at Botanical.com A Modern Herbal, and I've found these other sites useful for garlic: Green Harvest, The Garlic Store - the New York Times even has a story on 'Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic'.
For us, we're just excited to have something in the ground that's growing, and will be ready to harvest in late November or early December. You can be sure we'll tell you about that too!
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