Date: September 15th 2009

September 12, 2009

Dear Folks,

It's Garlic Planting Time! And, Green Garlic.

***************************************
Normal temp range for September: Low 69 to 107
***************************************
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

For Arizona only Farmers Markets here is a special link:
http://www.foodconnect.org/farmers_markets/locator.asp
***************************************
GROWING GARLIC

When I harvested my first large crop of garlic this past spring I was like a
kid in a candy store - only it was pungent and fragrant!

See some pictures on recent post on my blog:

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/09/garlic-time-to-plant.h
tml

Well it is time to prepare the garden for the new garlic planting. If you
want to try this on a limited scale, purchase a head of garlic from your
favorite farmer or grocer, and proceed as follows:

Choose a place in your garden which will receive the usually needed 4-
6+ hours a day of direct sunlight.

The soil must be very well-draining, and should be rich in decomposed
organics.

You must be able to keep the bed easily weeded for the next 6 months.

That's it for the most part - while the growing season is long, the
'gardening' aspect of growing garlic is quite simple: plant, water, weed,
and wait.

Separate each of the cloves, leaving the paper on them. If any are
rotted, discard them. Plant each clove 4-6 inches apart, 1 inch deep,
with the pointed side up.

In my last spring bed I had about 17 feet by 3 feet of garlic planted and
it produced 124 heads - that kind of density is super efficient.

Next spring I will post what to look for in terms of the necessary steps to
harvesting successfully.

If you want more than a trial bed of garlic, visit my supplier to purchase
starter garlic:

http://www.ronnigers.com

You want to get all the cloves in the ground no later than November 1st -
they need a bit of warm soil to get going, but the most important part is
they need the full desert winter temperatures to mature properly.

Which brings me to a garlic growing option - Green Garlic or as I like to
call them "Garlic Scallions" because that is what they look like.

First a little bit of culture info for you.

Each garlic head is composed of cloves, each of which can either
produce another fat garlic clove if grown for a short period, or produce a
new full 'head' (full of individual cloves) of garlic if grown during a long
cold period.

Garlic Scallions can be grown successively for about 8-10 months during
the year (not during the summer). While the garlic heads need
approximately six months of growth over fall, winter and early spring to
produce the full head, garlic scallions require only about 4-6 weeks to
come to harvest size.

GARLIC SCALLION PLANTING

Again, separate the cloves leaving the paper on, discard any rotted or
damaged cloves. For the garlic scallions each clove you plant will be the
'scallion' you eat, so these should each be in pristine condition, they can
be sprouting just not damaged or rotted.

(With the head garlic, the initially planted clove dissolves into a stem
base around which the new cloves develop.)

First decide how much garlic scallions you want to harvest each week in
the coming months - this is the fun part, because you will be creating a
successive garden which can be kept repeating much like a radish bed
where you harvest one and replace it with a new seed. That also means
you don't necessarily need to devote a huge space to the garlic scallion
bed.

Plant as noted above only you can plant these closer together about 3-4
inches. After the first planting, continue successive plantings each
week, again planting the amount of garlic you want to harvest in a
week's time. You can continue this planting schedule through
approximately the end of May. Success in the late spring/early summer
depends on how fast we get really hot. Once you begin harvesting the
garlic you can replace each harvested scallion with a new clove.

When to harvest: Your first harvest will be in approximately 4-6 weeks.
Here you are looking for the top greens to be about 8-10 inches tall and
if you gently feel the clove at the base below the soil surface it should
feel 'fuller' slightly swollen and rounded. Harvest at any point when the
'scallions' are at this point. If you chose to plant close together and less
frequently then weekly, harvest every other plant, this allows the
remaining ones to grow 'fuller' until you harvest them.

USE the entire scallion, except the roots - and enjoy this great food
addition.
***************************************
PLANTING FOR SEPTEMBER

All your winter crops (cabbage family and all greens) can be seeded in,
along with the cool weather herbs such as dill, cilantro, parsley and the
winter edible flowers like pansies, nasturtiums and calendula. Don't
forget some of my favorite fragrant and edible flowers which are broccoli
family members: sweet alyssum and stock - yes they are both edible and
gorgeous.

Listen to my podcast show on "creating a nursery in your garden"

http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&id=30881

SAVE THE SEED
Many of your edibles will be going to seed now or as we go into fall.
Save the seed for next season planting. Things like chives and basil are
prolific seed producers and you can easily harvest the dried seeds. Store
in a paper envelope when perfectly dry, label the envelop with your
harvest date and type. I use a photo keeper box to store my seeds,
using a month separate guide to place the envelop in the first month for
restarting that plant type.

***************************************
REMINDER SERVICE:
The consistent comment I receive about gardening here in the desert
from my readers, book purchasers, and lecture attendees is they don't
always remember to check when to do something. So I created this
reminder service. Simple, and direct to your inbox several times a month
with detailed what-to-dos and how-tos.

If you have family in other states, I have a list of areas around the
country which have similar temperature and growing conditions, and they
may find this service also helpful. Go to this link to see the cities.

http://www.herbs2u.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=99

Make your gardening in the desert more successful. Sign up for the
temporary discounted rate on my reminder newsletter service. $15 for
the year if you sign up before the end of September. It will be $21 for
the year after that - still a fair price but take advantage of the discount if
you can.

Payment link (credit or debit card or paypal) is here:

http://bit.ly/Z81lo
***************************************
SORE FROM ALL THAT GARDENING? Or, maybe you just need some
help with the standard aches and pains.

I would like to introduce you to Rihab Yaqub, whom Iþve known for as
long as I have been going to the Mesa Farmers Market - quite a while.
Her focus for many years has been a journey of contemplative self-
awareness and teaching. She is a gentle enthusiast for life. She is now
a certified Rolfer.

If you are like me and heard about rolfing as a þmugging you pay forþ
Rihab will explain the real aspects of this massage technique.

Here is a short introduction:

Have you ever stood up after too much weeding and wished you could
stretch out all the kinks like a cat stretching after a nap? Rolfing is a
gentle form of hands on therapy and movement education which works
the kinks out of your body while figuring out how they got there in the
first place. Is overuse of your mouse hand the reason your neck hurts?
Is that knee pain really the result of a stiff hip? The good news is that it
is never too late to do something good for your body. Rolfing benefits
people of all ages and lifestyles. For more information on Rolfing, please
visit:

http://www.rolfingresources.com/
OR
call Rihab (480) 735-8875

***************************************

IN THE KITCHEN:

More Savory Oatmeal ideas:

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/09/oatmeal-stuffing-oat
meal-not-just-for.html

Rosemary Scented Stew:

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/09/rosemary-scented-st
ew.html


Have a great day,

Catherine
The Herb Lady
http://www.herbs2u.net/

Check out my blog and subscribe at:
http://www.edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/

I'm twittering now:
http://twitter.com/TheHerbLady

ON THE RADIO! I'm Podcasting - tell me what you think or what you
would like to hear from me

http://bit.ly/UNUvR

Subscribe for just $15/year to my gardening and harvesting reminder
service:

http://bit.ly/Z81lo