I’ve published a number of articles related to growing garlic here on this site, so I thought that I knew a little bit about gourmet garlic and growing it in the home garden. But after listening to a workshop on garlic presented by David Stern of the Garlic Seed Foundation, I realized that there is much more to discover about the workings of this amazing plant.
I’ve recently posted a couple of articles containing gourmet garlic growing tips for planting fall garlic and strategies for obtaining the best garlic seed stock. I wanted to follow-up by sharing some of my favorite gourmet garlic varieties for growing in the home garden.
Rutabagas are one of my favorite root vegetables and if you’ve never tasted or raised home grown rutabagas you’re in for a treat. Many people are clueless about just how good rutabagas are, and I have to confess that I was one of them and missed out on enjoying this delicious vegetable in the kitchen as well as the garden for many years.
The last entry discussed the huge advantages of growing gourmet garlic and provided techniques for planting fall garlic, today I’ll share a few tips for buying the best gourmet garlic seed.
Here in Central Pennsylvania it’s almost time to plant the fall garlic seed that will grow into enormous cloves of delicious gourmet garlic by the middle of next summer. Sure you can plant garlic next spring, but in most areas you’ll get healthier plants, larger cloves, and better results from a fall sowing of this cold hardy root vegetable.
A friend was surprised recently when I commented that carrots aren’t always orange in color. You may also be surprised to discover just how many different colors of carrots the resourceful gardener can grow in an ornamental vegetable garden.
The gourmet garlic plants have begun sending up their seed stalks which are commonly referred to as garlic scapes. While some garlic growers leave the scapes on the plants, I always remove them as they appear during the early summer months.
I recently planted Salsify, also known as Oyster Plant or Vegetable Oyster, in my garden and the seeds have already sprouted and began growing. Salsify is a rather uncommon root crop that is not often found growing in home gardens, but is actually a very care free vegetable to cultivate.
Need to find a creative use for those left over garlic bulbs that you stored but didn’t get around to using during the winter months? Here’s an
Gardening is a wonderful gift that I’ve developed the hard way… through trial and error! I hope to share the incredible lessons learned and make things a lot easier for you out in the organic vegetable garden.
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