Author Topic: Garlic Experiment  (Read 1564 times)

Tee Gee

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Garlic Experiment
« on: October 27, 2018, 15:56:50 »

I thought you might be interested on how I am planning to grow some vegetables in my predominantly 'ornamental' garden at home from now on.

As I really want to have my cake and eat it,that is; I basically want an 'ornamental garden' which contains a few 'edible' plants rather than an area dedicated to vegetables only!

So over the last few months I have been doing quite a lot of thinking on how best to do this so I have come up with my Mk1 plan (Numbered this way as I guess there will be lots more before I have done)

As it is time to plant Garlic I thought I would experiment with these to see how I go on then in Spring I can modify things if necessary!

The Plan:

I have a number of 22" x 16" x 6" deep trays (see pic) that I thought I could utilise as a type of raised bed / container bed, with the added advantage that I could move them around if necessary i.e. as the growing season dictates.

My aim is to grow things that I particularly like to eat for example; Onions & Leeks in trays, Strawberries in 5"/6" pots (more on this later), Beetroot & Carrots in the flower beds as their leaves would complement my flowers.

I have already planted out a gooseberry bush and a couple of Blueberry bushes in my shrubbery, plus I have made an Asparagus bed as I like their tall fern like leaves which I hope will cover a bit of a 'grot spot' at the back of the garden.

The Experiment:

Pic 1: An empty tray.

Pic 2: A 25mm (1") deep drainage layer formed of wood chippings.

Pic 3: A 25 mm (1") deep layer formed of well rotted manure as a moisture resrvoir.

Pic 4: A 75 mm (3") layer of compost.

Pic 5: Holes marked out to suit the type of veg I am planting. In this case for garlic I am experimenting with 100 mm (42) apart to see how they perform.

I think these spacings might also suit Leeks but my thoughts are;  I may have to widen the gap to 150 mm (6") for Onions.

Pic 6: Prepared Garlic cloves.

Pic 7: Cloves planted.

Pic 8: Cloves covered with Compost & labelled.

Pic 9; Tray situated in growing area.

Pic 10:I prepared this area earlier in the year as my 'pot store' so I am using the top shelf as a growing area.

As you can see I have also a number of Strawberry runners I lifted from my allotment potted up into 125 mm (5") pots.

I plan on leaving these in pots and moving them onto my herbaceous border to alternate with with flowers in the border.

As you can see in Pic 11 I have alternating Pelargoniums and Begonias growing there this year.

You might not be able to see but each of these pots are in another pot sunk into the soil to make it easy for me to replace a failure or a damaged plant.

Well next year I plan on alternating my potted flowers with Strawberry plants then when the fruit harvest is finished I lift the pot out and replace it it with another potted flowering plant, or who knows? I might put in a potted vegetable plant only Time will tell!

I also plan on fitting in Beetroot and Carrots between other flowers in this area as I think their leaves will complement my flowers.


Your thoughts on this plan would be appreciated so feel free to comment and if someone comes up with something I have not thought about as yet then perhaps I make take up their idea.

....and that folks is part of my plan to fill the gap I am going to experience after having spent around forty years allotmenteering!...Tg

Tee Gee

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Re: Garlic Experiment
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2018, 12:06:07 »
It is 5½ weeks since I started this experiment and so far so good I have 24 plants from 24 cloves. :icon_cheers:

Fingers crossed!

Obelixx

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Re: Garlic Experiment
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2018, 16:24:30 »
I've been out and checked mine today Tee Gee.   100 cloves planted in a raised bed next to the west facing wall of the PT so sheltered from nasty northerlies and all but 3 are poking up above the soil - anything from just a nose to several inches.   I completely understand how pleased you are feeling about yours.
Obxx - Vendée France

johhnyco15

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Re: Garlic Experiment
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2018, 21:01:18 »
two rows elephant garlic around 28  cloves all up not had a frost yet  here on the sunshine coast so they are going great guns
johhnyc015  may the plot be with you

plotstoeat

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Re: Garlic Experiment
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2018, 19:22:34 »
I think it is nice to mix flowers and veg. I have grown garlic in containers in the past but I didn't look after them well and they were smaller than the ones in the beds. I think Spring is an important time to keep them fed and watered but we are so busy, these jobs don't always get done. They seem to respond well to liquid seaweed. I grow a lot of veg in containers and the point you make about their mobility is a good one. Feeding and watering are the drawbacks esp if they are in the greenhouse. Keep us posted TeeGee

 

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