Garlic Harvest 2016
Sean Dembrosky
Garlic harvest is in for the 2016 season, hanging in a friends barn to dry down a bit and then some will go for storage but the vast majority for a HUGE expansion of planting this fall. 3000+ beautiful heads out of about 10 different beds, some in the hedgerow edges, some in big open field.
Not a drop of irrigation was provided to this crop this year. It is significant that during this historic drought year for our region that I got any garlic at all, let alone a surprisingly happy and large headed bunch!
Most certainly a very important reminder on how critical it is to be generous with mulch. As drought conditions deepened through June I revisited the main field production bed twice with old straw from a hedgerow. Two full truckloads. That straw I believe saved the crop and allowed bulb development to really happen.
Edible Acres is ramping up its garlic so that next year we'll be able to offer certified organic, locally grown, never irrigated, super resilient garlic for folks to plant out!
Initial pull of garlics, letting them get some drying and sun time on them before they are bundled and hung.