Another card was left that and there's a parcel to be collected.
Not more spring bulbs I can assure you but something equally close to my heart:
garlic bulbs.
For this autumn I have chosen two varieties of garlic: 'Early Purple Wight' and 'Bella Italiano'. I don't speak much Italian but should it not be 'Bella Italiana' or 'Bello Italiano'? Either way, I hope the garlic will peform well. For now I am storing it cool and dry as it is far too warm too plant. For some reason people are often impressed to hear that I am growing garlic (or getter: I grow garlic at the rectory) but it is relatively easy and so satisfying. Onions and garlic like a good cold spell, so I plant in autumn just when it is cooling off a bit. They are both planted quite shallow, and I need them to develop roots to anchor them in before we have proper winter weather. Both onions and garlic have withstood the last few winters without any problems.
Last year I replanted some of the garlic harvested but every other year I treat my clients to new bulbs to avoid problems with disease and virus.
Just a few brief pointers re cultivation:
- choose a sunny site where you did not grow garlic or onions last season or ideally for a few seasons
- don't use a freshly manured site but some well-rotted garden compost is beneficial
- soil raked to a fine tilth makes planting easier
- spacing: about 20 cm apart and rows 30cm apart, this also helps with weeding as you can slice through weeds with a hoe rather than waste your time weeding by hand
- split your bulb into cloves and plant each clove with the basal plate facing downwards
- push cloves into the soil and don't let the tip protrude
- label if you grow more than one variety and want to compare taste
Happy growing and cooking!
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