A few days ago I pulled up the garlic and shallots grown here in the veggie gardens at Struan Farm. It was definitely time to do so. Both are members of the alliaceous family, commonly called alliums, which also includes leeks, other types of onions, and chives.
It was quite the yield, I'm very happy with this year's crop. Now the harvest is spread out and/or hanging in the garage to dry before trimming and storage. Last year's lasted almost the entire year stored out of light in the pantry, and I go through heaps of garlic and shallots, so it's definitely worth the effort.
I pulled up some surprisingly huge heads of garlic. One cluster is so large that I still need to dig it out with a shovel, couldn't pull it up or dig it out with my trowel. This season I fertilised the bed well with sheep pellets and didn't water, let whatever rain happened happen. Obviously it was a winning strategy for this particular season, but I'm not cocky enough to think that anything is consistent when it comes to growing things. I just do the best I can and try to learn as I go. Thinking about what I've just written, that may not be a bad strategy for just about anything in life!
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