Thursday, September 26, 2013

Growing Onions and Garlic in the South ~ Part Two Garlic

Welcome to Part Two in our series about autumn gardens growing onions and garlic. This time we'll discuss Mr. Garlic and how he grows.

Growing Garlic in the South:

Garlic has similar requirements to onions. Just in case you missed our first post, lets do a quick review.

 Feed the Soil, Not the Plant
"Raised beds are ideal for growing onions and garlic since they provide good drainage and can easily be amended by tilling 2”-3” of compost into the soil." (source: NC Cooperative Extension, Time to Plant...)
Garlic has difficulty growing in hard clay soils so the addition of organic matter (or compost) is a must.

 Garlic needs a soil pH of 6.0-7.0. (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension) Soil pH meters can be purchased at any hardware store, such as Lowes or Home Depot.

 Garlic also needs plenty of moisture during the growing season to help it form nice bulbs. When the garlic gets mature, less water is needed.

The best thing is to submit a soil test to your local extension agent and add any lime or fertilizer according to your test results.

Stay on top of any weeds, as they can force your garlic to compete for need moisture and nutrients.

Crop rotation is very important when growing members of the Allium family such as: shallots, onions, garlic, and leeks. Do not replant these in the same spot for at about four years. Instead, plant a different vegetable there next year. This helps prevent soil born diseases.

Planting Garlic Cloves
Botanical Garlic Print
 "Garlic needs 40 or more cold days below 40°F in order for the clove to split into a bulb." (source: NC Cooperative Extension Growing Garlic)  "Garlic must be planted in the fall to permit full development. Plant early enough in the season because vegetative growth ceases when the bulb develops in response to longer days and warmer temperatures in the spring." (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension)

Garlic is best planted in October around the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Garlic bulbs should be purchased from a greenhouse or garden center. Do not plant bulbs from the grocery store because these varieties might not be suited to your area. Often times, grocery store garlic is treated with a chemical to keep it from sprouting. (source: NC Cooperative Extension, Time to Plant...)

Garlic bulbs must be separated into individual cloves. Garlic gets planted with the flat side down and the pointy end up. Plant garlic "an inch or two deep, spaced 2 to 6 inches apart." (source: Charlotte Observer) Allow at least 12 inches between garlic rows.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2650652/planting-garlic-a-new-october.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2650652/planting-garlic-a-new-october.html#storylink=cpy

Hard Neck or Soft Neck?
"The two basic types of garlic are called soft-necks and hard-necks. Soft-neck garlic varieties (ssp. sativum) do not make a seed stalk. They are good for braiding and tend to keep longer than hard-neck types. Hard-neck types (ssp. ophioscorodon) produce a seed stalk and peel easier than soft-neck garlic." (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension)

 "The trick to success in growing garlic in the Piedmont is finding a variety of garlic - softneck or hardneck, it doesn't matter - that harvests early, by May or June." (source: Charlotte Observer)

 Soft neck garlics are the kind typically found in supermarkets and are the most recommended for growing in the south. They grow in most areas and store well.

"Avoid planting the Creole types of softneck garlic (also called Early, Louisiana, and White Mexican) in western North Carolina because they are not very winter-hardy." (source:  NC Cooperative Extension, Garlic Production)

Rocambole garlics (a hardneck type) does not grow well in warm climates and are not recommended for the south.

Elephant Garlic
"Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is a leek, not a garlic. It produces a bulb up to four times larger than garlic and is much milder in flavor. It can be produced like garlic and grows well throughout North Carolina." (source: NC Cooperative Extension, Garlic Production)

Recommended Garlic Types
The following are only suggestions, and many other good garlic varieties are also available.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2650652/planting-garlic-a-new-october.html#storylink=cp
  • German Extra Hardy (hardneck)
  • New York White Neck (softneck)
  • Early Italian and also any other Italian varieties (softneck)
  • Music (hardneck)
  • Turban (hardneck)
  • Kettle River Giant (softneck)
  • Inchelium (softneck)
(Source: Charlotte Observer, and NC Cooperative Extension, Garlic Production)
Scapes
Only hardneck garlics produce what is called a scape which is an edible flower stalk. "Scapes look strange and taste delicious, with a mild garlicky flavor." (source: Charlotte Observer)

The broken off unopened flowers buds can be eaten in salads.

For large bulb sizes, scapes (the flower stalk) must be broken off. It will reduce bulb size by 30% if allowed to grow. 

"If the flower stalk is allowed to grow, the aerial bulbils that develop on some varieties can be used as planting stock that will produce marketable size bulbs in two to three years." (source: NC Cooperative Extension, Garlic Production)
Harvest Time
Garlic is best harvested when the ground is dry and not too wet. It stores better when dry.

Garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and dry, normally in early summer. Carefully dig up a sample bulb to see when garlic is ready to harvest. 

"Elephant garlic is ready to harvest in mid-May to mid-June and must be harvested when about 30% of the foliage is starting to yellow." (source:  NC Cooperative Extension, Garlic Production)

Cure garlic bulbs in a warm shady place. Garlic can be braided and hung. It can also be stored with the leafy tops cut off in a mesh bag.

Never store garlic in containers or plastic bags.

Sources

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Growing Onions and Garlic in the South ~ Part One: Onions

As you may know, I live in the South and that means that fall is the best time to plant onions, garlics, leeks, and shallots. I believe that no cottage garden is complete without at least one row of onions!

Lets begin with onions:

Feed the Soil, Not the Plant
"Raised beds are ideal for growing onions and garlic since they provide good drainage and can easily be amended by tilling 2”-3” of compost into the soil." (source: NC Cooperative Extension)

Onions need a soil pH of 6.0-6.5. (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension) Soil pH meters can be purchased at any hardware store, such as Lowes or Home Depot.

Onions also need plenty of moisture during their growing season to help your onions form nice bulbs.

The best thing is to submit a soil test to your local extension agent and add any lime or fertilizer according to your test results. Avoid giving onions to much nitrogen fertilizer. (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension)

Stay on top of any weeds, as they can force your onions to compete for need moisture and nutrients.

Crop rotation is very important when growing members of the Allium family such as: shallots, onions, garlic, and leeks. Do not replant these in the same spot for at about four years. Instead, plant a different vegetable there next year. This helps prevent soil born diseases.

Vintage Onion Seed Packet
Seeds, Sets, or Transplants
There are three ways to plant onions: seed, sets, or transplants. Onion seed is planted around Sept-Oct, directly into the ground 1/2 " to 3/4" inch deep. Onions seeds should be thinned so the remaining plants are spaced 3-4" inches apart (source: NC Cooperative Extension). The thinned out onions can be ate, just like a green onion.

 Onion Sets are smaller and immature bulbs, which are planted early in the spring and also in the fall. Onion sets and plants should be planted 3 inches apart to allow room for the bulb to grow.

Transplants should be about 6 inches high when planted. They should planted in Dec-Feb (source: Bulb Onion Production in Eastern North Carolina)  Plant transplants a little over and inch in the ground. Onion transplants should be dry when purchased and should NOT be placed in water before planting.

Bunching Onions:
The two best types of bunching onions are: 
  • Beltsville Bunching
  • Evergreen Bunching
 Bunching onions are designed to not produce bulbs. They can be reseeded until late October to ensure successive harvests. "Green onions can be ready for harvest in as little as 30-40 days from seeding." (source: NC Cooperative Extension)

Green onions can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Harvest when tops are 6-8" tall. (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension)

How do you know which type of onion to plant?
"Onions are classed as long or short day varieties based on the number of hours of daylight required to make a bulb. Short day varieties set bulbs with about 12 hours of daylight." (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension)

"Regardless of when they are planted, varieties won't form bulbs until the days are long enough for them to do so." (source: Bulb Onion Production in Eastern North Carolina)

Short day onions are typically grown in fall in the south. Intermediate day onions can also be grown.

Short day onions do not store well.

The best short day onion varieties: 
  • Texas Supersweet (yellow onion)
  • Grano (yellow and red selections)
  • Granex (white onion)
  • Candy (white onion)
  • Stockton Sweet Red (red onion)
      (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension and NC Cooperative Extension Agency)

Harvest Time!
"Harvest bulb onions when about three‑fourths of the tops have fallen over. Remove tops by cutting 1 to 1½ inches above the top of the bulb. Thoroughly air-dry bulbs in a shaded area before storage." (source: Clemson Cooperative Extension).

"The tops of bulb onion plants fall over naturally once the bulbs have matured. When half of the tops in a planting have fallen over, lift all of the bulbs and place the pulled plants in a warm, dry place away from direct sunshine to cure." (source: Mother Earth News)

Vintage French Onion Seed Label

Sources:

Friday, September 13, 2013

My 10 year anniversary is coming up next year!

Guess what? I'm so excited. I just realized yesterday that my ten year anniversary is coming up next year. That's right! Call Me Cordelia is celebrating ten years on the internet. I started that website when I was fifteen years old in 2004 and next year I'll be twenty-five.

Call Me Cordelia's Victorian Logo
Wow! I never figured when I started with a free geocities website that it would ever turn into my own domain. I remember all those years I worked on all the free items for my site's visitors. My favorite part of Call Me Cordelia was when the online shop opened. I remember washing antique linens and ironing them. I've still got a few of my favorite linens from over the years. Some of them I just couldn't sell because I didn't want to part with them.

Anyway, I'm going to be blogging less next week. I'm going to be working on Call Me Cordelia. I need check each page and make sure all links still work and we're getting a new header image.

Next year, we've got some celebrating to do. I'll be having a free giveaway on my blog. Details will be coming in 2014! Also I'll let you know when I finish updating the site. If you want to exchange links with my site, just let me know.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Vintage Creamers

Hello Ladies,

I've been shopping again. Yes, I know, I really shouldn't be bringing home any more stuff. But I just couldn't help myself. I love estate sales, yard sales, and even ebay. ;)

My favorite find of the week is this pretty shabby chic style creamer. It is so cute! The little thing just belongs in a vintage cottage style home. I think it is adorable. Here's a photo:

To purchase this creamer: click here

I also found more of autumn style creamer, which is encircled by flowing wheat. Its part of Mikasa's Harvest china pattern.

To purchase this creamer: click here

The last, but certainly not least, is a shabby white creamer with a classy platinum trim. Its made by Royal Majestic Fine China.

To purchase this creamer: click here

This site was made with ♥ by Angie Makes