Thursday 18 September 2014

Planting - Low Spend Day

 
Although this is No Spend/Low Spend September some spending just has to be done.
 
In order to keep us in garlic for next year the cloves have to be planted now, so yesterday saw me sat on the bench in the sunshine separating out all the individual cloves of garlic from the bulbs, counting as I went ....

 
..... and then on my hands and knees planting all 71 of them out into the middle raised bed.  A whole bed full of yummy Garlic.

 
And nearby is a whole bed of Leeks.

 
If you look closely you can just about see them.  Eighty Five leeks in total, enough to keep us going for a while.

 
I was watched whilst I worked by two little doggies enjoying the sunshine. 
 
Suky the Pug was fast asleep at the bottom of the hill and Rosy was running around in the woods chasing rabbits, but these two need a bit more supervision so they are tethered when I'm working on the hillside alone just so I can get on with what I'm doing and not have to worry about them and the road.
 
 
So it might have been a 'Spend Day' but it was most certainly a 'Low Spend Day' when you consider that the heads of Garlic (if they all come up) will cost me just over 8p each and the leeks will cost me just under 12p each.
 
It's good to get my hands in the soil again, I was worrying my green fingers would have gone rusty ;-)
 
Sue xx

25 comments:

  1. Really looking forward to seeing your garlic grow! :) Lovely to see Mavis looking so relaxed. Charley looks so cheeky. What a gorgeous pair! x

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  2. Thats a lot of garlic, I'm sure you'll find some good uses for it, just think of the money saved in the long run, do you know if garlic can be grown in pots? I was thinking of having a go.

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    1. I think it's well worth a go. They don't need masses of depth but they do need space, each clove about 5" apart, but you could do a ring around the outside of a big pot and a couple in the middle, or get some trough style containers and do two rows.

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  3. How lovely to be getting your hands dirty again! Enjoy xx

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  4. It's great you have an audience while you work lol

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  5. I am just ordering some garlic hope to have it in next week. I am slowly catching up really looking forward to having some growing beds again.

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  6. Our garlic goes in next month..we're using this year's crop as 'seed'. We love leeks ,but they don't like it here,they never grow large enough to be called leeks.
    Jane x

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    1. Giant leeks flavoured spring onions then ;-)

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  7. Good job! I'd love to be able to do a bit of gardening, but alas...no space.

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  8. I have only tried to grow garlic once and the pesky rabbits ate the lot! The leeks this year are looking like they are all going to seed :-( and the onions are very small, must be something to do with the hot dry weather. x

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    1. Bum!!

      I was told rabbits don't like garlic and would avoid it, we'll have to see.

      I have decided to grow only 'rabbit resistant' things outdoors, everything tender and tasty (for them) will be in the two tunnels eventually. I thought one of the crops could be garlic.

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  9. That's a lot of garlic. Count Dracula will be steering clear of your home. Leeks will be fantastic too x

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  10. Thanks for the reminder, I'll get miy garlic in soon once I've cleared a space. Is it not a bit late for those leeks? When would you be looking to harvest them.

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    1. They will be overwintered and most likely not harvested until Summer or even beyond. I've never done it this way before as I usually grow my own from seed, these were bought from our local nursery as it is too late to put in seeds for overwintering Leeks.

      We'll see if it works, it's all experimental here for me at the moment. It's a much shorter growing season than southern England, due to temperatures and light, different soil and at the moment no polytunnel or place to start seeds off in. I was hoping to use the shed for some seeds but it proved much to cold in there and very dark. even right up against the window, so I was foiled :-(

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    2. Nothing wrong with experimenting. I'll look out for how they get on.
      I start some of mine on the window sill. This winter I'm going to experiment with micro salads so that will be all indoors

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  11. I have just been catching up a bit and really pleased to see Mavis is back you must be so pleased. Having been away from blogging for a while I can't believe how much you have done in the garden - it is all looking very productive in your giant veg boxes.

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  12. You couldn't live in Wales and NOT grow leeks!
    I've yet to get my garlic sets.

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  13. I didn't know how to grow garlic! Can you please help me Sue (or anyone else)? A neighbour keeps giving me apples which is brilliant. I tried making chutney last week (apple, onion, sultanas, vinegar and sugar) but it took 2 hours to thicken and only made 4 jars (2kg apples). Did I use too much liquid or not enough other ingredients? I'm about to get more apples from my neighbour and would like to have another go at chutney but not feeling confident. Many thanks x

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    1. Yep, garlic is THAT easy. Separate the cloves and poke them into the soil 1"deep and 5" apart, water and check they haven't been pulled up by birds etc a week or so later and then leave to get on with their own stuff. :-)

      You do need LOTS of fruit/veggies etc for chutney, I always use my big jam pan almost full to the top at the start. Sounds like maybe slightly too much liquid or more likely, not keeping it 'popping' away for long enough. You want more than a simmer but not quite a boil, if you know what I mean.

      Well worth having another go, four jars of anything homemade is a tasty addition to the larder :-)

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    2. Thanks Sue. I'll add more onions and sultanas next time. The biggest pot I have was absolutely full to the top so a friend has offered me her jam pan for next time which means I'll be able to get more in. The freezer is full of stewed apples and apple crumbles and hopefully I will have a cupboard full of chutney just shortly.

      It's not the birds that would be the problem with the garlic, it would be the dogs. They eat everything and anything!! I can't believe how much your pup has grown.

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  14. Love your supervisors, LOL. Your beds look really great. I hope your garlic does well!

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  15. I've grown garlic before just from garlic cloves we have in the kitchen. Is there a specific reason for buying garlic sets rather than doing that? I'm sure there must be! I expect you get a better size - the ones I grew weren't huge bulbs.

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    1. The garlic bulbs that you buy to plant out are grown specifically from disease resistant, cultivated stock and usually give you a better chance of a problem free crop.

      I have planted supermarket or garlic bought from the greengrocers before now and it DOES work well enough, but I found I never got a reliable enough crop. Another thing is, what you buy from the supermarket is not always British Garlic, and I have found that British Garlic grows better in our climate (for obvious reasons).

      Hope this helps.

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  16. You are very organised to plant so much garlic and the leeks too. I am going to plant a few garlic cloves today; you inspired me.

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  17. Thanks Sue, I shall buy a pack and compare! I try to get British garlic when I can, and NEVER EVER have the Chinese stuff, as it is sprayed with Gods knows what. Mind you, all the more reason for growing as much produce as you can to prevent eating Carcinogens on a plate!

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