Update: January 18, 2010
Update: Novbember 1, 2009
Original post: October 24
Not much is going into the ground this time of year, but garlic is traditionally planted “on the shortest day”. Well, it’s not quite solstice yet, but I reckon my garlic will survive the winter. Most of my garden will be going into the ground in the spring, but given how much I like garlic, and given that garlic needs something like 7 months to grow before it’s ready to harvest, I figured there’s no time like the present!
Here’s me, breaking off a clove to plant. This is just a regular grocery-store-bought head. Some people say you get better results buying some fancy variant from a garden center, but I’ll take my chances.
Garlic doesn’t propagate by seed. Rather, you plant the individual cloves and they grow into new heads. It’s like magic! I only planted the bigger cloves around the outside of the head, not the smaller cloves on the inside. The smaller cloves are not supposed to grow very well.
I used my fingers to create twelve few-inch-deep depressions in the dirt, and placed one clove in each, root-end down and pointy-end up.
Then I smoothed the dirt over them and patted it down.
Now, the waiting.
#1 by buzinator at January 5th, 2010
Hey.
How’re they coming along btw?
Also – is there a specific term I can google to learn more about that growing system using the tub with the pvc pipe? I’ve never seen that kind of setup before.
#2 by Joshua Bardwell at January 5th, 2010
They’re coming along fine. I’ll try to post an update pic some time soon.
The terms you’re looking for are, “self-watering planter,” and, “Earthbox,” which is the brand name for a particular type of self-watering planter.
There are lots of DIY instructions on the Internet. Of them, I recommend this one:
http://www.green-trust.org/freebooks/Earthbox.pdf
Here are some tips for you if you decide to build your own:
PVC comes in both pressure-rated (schedule 40) and non-pressure-rated versions. The pressure-rated ones are much thicker and more expensive. You can happily build this device with non-pressure-rated PVC, although it may tend to crack a bit when you drill the 1/2″ wicking holes in the 4″ PVC supports, depending on what kind of bit you use to drill them.
Many sites suggest buying two of a given container and then sandwiching them to create the reservoir, using the floor of the top container as the aeration screen. This is quick and easy, but it also means you have to buy two containers, which raises the cost substantially. For a bit more work, I recommend buying a container with a lid and then cutting down the lid to create the aeration screen. This means that you use one container and one lid per planter instead of two.
You will be cutting large (about 3-4″) diameter holes in the aeration screen, for the columns of dirt that contact the water reservoir and wick moisture into the soil. If you are doing a large number of planters, this goes MUCH faster, neater, and more consistent with a hole saw mounted to a drill, instead of a jigsaw, which was what I started out using. Same deal with the 1″ hole for the fill tube.
If you are doing a bunch of planters together, you will be drilling a ton of 1/4″ holes all through the aeration screen. If you can, figure out how to clamp them together such that you can drill through four or five of them at a time.
EDIT: One more tip. You’ll be drilling 1/2″ holes into 4″ PVC to make the wicking columns. I used a 1/2″ drill bit, which tended to chip the PVC, and was a bit aggressive for the thin material. If I were to do it again, I would consider a 1/2″ spade bit instead.
#3 by tomatotaster at January 22nd, 2010
I was reading your post and just wanted to see if you’ve heard of the Grow Box? I’ve tried it and I’ve had so much success. I had Spanish Onions, Cucumbers, Butternut Squash and Beets this past summer! It’s actually a bit better and a whole lot less expensive! They hold about a gallon and a half more water. Check it out at http://www.agardenpatch.com
Happy Gardening!
#4 by Joshua Bardwell at January 22nd, 2010
I had not heard of the Grow Box specifically, no, but my objection to it is similar to my objection to the Earth Box: cost. The Grow Boxes run around $33-35 each. Add another few dollars for shipping and handling, and you’re in the $40 range. Homemade versions can be made for about $15-20, depending on the type of container you use. Especially because I was planning on planting in quantity, every dollar counted. I ended up making eight planters. That’s between $80 and $160 price difference between home-made and the Grow Box.
#5 by buzinator at January 22nd, 2010
Thx for the update photo – looking good man.
What sort of temperatures have these been surviving through? (I’m currently holding off such a planter project due to lack of confidence anything would survive current conditions in eastern PA)
#6 by Joshua Bardwell at January 22nd, 2010
We had a cold snap of about four days just below freezing… in the 27-29 degree range. Other than that, it’s been in the thirties and fourties at night.
It’s hard to tell whether they’re “surviving” through the cold since I’ve never grown garlic before and so I don’t have any idea what they’re supposed to look like. They say you plant garlic on the solstice, which sure as heck makes it a winter plant, but it’s possible they mean “seed garlic” and not “garlic from a bulb,” in which case it’s possible that the garlic is intended to be in the ground during the coldest parts and only come out when it’s warmer. Also, I’m not certain whether garlic is native to places that have winters like ours, so that could be a factor. We’ll see…
#7 by buzinator at January 22nd, 2010
ok, so generally warmer there than here … but as you say they do make it sound like it’s meant to tough it out. I’ll think about it.
I have grown garlic in the ground before and yours look good to me. The way the stems have thickened looks like they’re getting ready to start shooting up as the daylight hours start increasing.
Mine have yielded smaller bulbs than you would get in the supermarket, but were significantly better tasting. There’s just no substitute for freshness.