Branching Out's Seeds and Sprouts

[Branching Out]

We have a really pretty hydrangea in full sun, and on hot days the blossoms curl up in protest. I have taken to covering the plant with a sheet during the worst of the heat, to shade it and to conserve moisture. It looks kind of funny, but it's better than having shrivelled up blossoms. We plan to relocate this shrub to a shadier spot come the fall.

 

[heirloomgal]

I want one of those!

 

[Decoy1]

And pole beans Sunshine is pumping out straight yellow beans. They were started on April 7th, and planted in a hot dry corner under the branches of our neighbour's cherry tree. Given that they have to compete with the huge tree for resources I have made an effort to mulch heavily, and I water deeply at least a couple of times a week too.

I’m growing Sunshine too from your gratefully received seeds. Not quite as far advanced as yours (sown 14th May) but growing strongly and not too far behind. Looking forward!

 

[Branching Out]

Finished pulling the garlic today! The bulbs are looking quite nice this year. They will hang from the rafters of our carport for the next month or so, to cure. I managed to clean up two of the garlic beds and then prep them with dry organic fertilizer. I had pre-sprouted some bean seeds so those got poked in to the soil, including Van Gogh's Olive, Ugandan Bantu, Cantare, and Painted Pony. Good chance it may be too late to be planting some of these beans-- but it's always fun trying. If we end up with a warm September they may be just fine. Tomorrow I hope to sow some carrot and beet seeds alongside the beans.

 

[heirloomgal]

Is each bunch a different variety?

 

[Decoy1]

Is each bunch a different variety?

It looks a great crop. And I was about to ask the same question.

In England there aren’t very many different varieties of garlic available, except for one well known source based on the Isle of Wight. But I don’t like the fact that they have selected and renamed all the varieties they offer, rather than staying with traditional varieties and selling them under those names.

 

[Branching Out]

Each bundle is indeed a different type, with just over 20 kinds (a couple of the bundles are duplicates as sometimes I have a cultivar grown from bulb as well as from bulbil.) The white labels that I use are made from aluminum window blinds. Each tag has a hole punched in it so it can follow the garlic as it is harvested; a long twist tie goes through the hole, and wraps around the bundle for curing. In Canada there are many garlic farms offering a broad range of varieties, however in our area almost everyone grows Red Russian, which is incredibly robust. The problem is if it gets hit by disease you could lose your whole crop.

I am nearing the tail end of a garlic trial that I began five years ago, and that started with about 40 different types. Each autumn I hope to cull a few cultivars, so that I will eventually end up with just a dozen or so really good ones. This process can't be rushed though, as garlic can take a very long time to get used to growing in a new region. Some of the best storage garlic such as Bogatyr are still producing just a few cloves per bulb; I hope that over time it settles in and bulks up. Others like Aglio Rosso are beautiful and store well too, so a definite winner. Keeper is one of my favourites. Like Aglio Rosso it's a Creole variety, and they seem to like our hot dry summers. Initially I had a large number of Porcelain cultivars, which produce massive bulbs but have poor storage quality. Most of those have been culled, with Portugal Azores still remaining. I also started with quite a few Rocamboles, and they too are being eliminated one by one as they only store for a short time. It may be worth holding on to one though, as they grow really huge and may be good candidates for use in making garlic powder.