the stinking rose

our family participated in a csa (community supported agriculture) program this past summer, and i loved it. for twenty weeks, we drove five miles down the road to pickup our weekly share of locally grown, organic produce from our chosen farm. our veggies never traveled in a truck, were never treated with chemical pesticides, and 100% of our payment went directly back into our local economy. what a deal.

i had such a great time taking lulu and bug to the farm each week... showing them the animals happily grazing on the pasture, identifying the tomato vines and other plants, and showing them what a real honest-to-goodness carrot looks like (green flowery stalk and all; no bagged baby carrots here), that i've now got the itch to have a garden of our own. our yard isn't huge by any means, but i'm already planning out what we'll plant and attempt to grow in the spring. and, in fact, what we're starting to plant now... like the stinking rose (otherwise known as garlic).

did you know that planting one individual clove of garlic will grow an entire new garlic bulb? or that these cloves get planted in the fall (just like flower bulbs) to produce new growth in the springtime? yeah, neither did i (until i did a little research recently). did i mention that they are ridiculously easy to plant? they are. and they don't take much space either... in one hour, i planted thirty cloves in a space measuring less than three feet square.

the only tricky part to planting garlic cloves is that you probably shouldn't use garlic purchased at your grocery store. their product has likely been treated to prevent the onion from sprouting (yes, garlic is in the onion family). you can find garlic for purchase online though, or at your local farmer's market. so, if you'd like a full stock of garlic for next summer's pastas, pestos and other savory dishes at virtually no cost, read on.

oh, and consider yourself warned, dear reader... i'm sure this won't be the last time i blog about our family's gardening adventures!

p.s.

1. will i participate in our local csa program again next year? yes.

2. why? because we had a great experience with it this year. it challenged me to cook veggies that i'd never used before (like kale and beet greens), helped me to make sure i was providing meals at home rather than dining out, and gave us a powerful connection to our local economy. and, honestly, who knows... i'll improve the soil, plant some seeds and water, but nothing may actually grown in my little backyard garden... the csa is a natural plan b for me!

planting garlic cloves

what you'll need: garlic bulbs (ones that have not been treated to prevent sprouting), compost (if your soil needs a boost), gardening gloves and shovel.

1. separate individual garlic cloves from bulb head

2. select your biggest cloves to use for planting (none with surface damage)

3. using shovel, dig trenches at least 6" deep

4. don your gardening gloves and mix in your compost (if necessary)

5. place garlic cloves in trenches, at least 6" apart

6. cover cloves with soil

7. wait patiently for the scapes (stalks) to sprout in early summer

what else should we plant in our garden? send us your suggestions.