This year was my first attempt at growing garlic. I use my fair share of garlic, don't get me wrong, but for me, I really just liked the idea of growing garlic. Maybe it was the vision of beautiful garlic braids hanging in my pantry (Oh, yes, lovely isn't it? That's my garlic, you know . . .), but, regardless the motivation, in November I broke a spare garlic head into 13 cloves and planted them, pointy side up, into my raised beds. I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be, but I was rewarded in February with green shoots coming up in the garden. Last week, the majority of the leaves had started to turn brown, so I deemed it time to dig the garlic. Thirteen beautiful heads of garlic were the reward of my very little efforts. I have them spread out in the garden shed now, drying and curing where the air circulation is good, and when they are dry I will attempt my very first garlic braid. Stay tuned! I plan to expand my efforts this Fall and try some different varieties, like Elephant Garlic, but as far as experiments go, you can't beat paying 50 cents at the grocery store for one head of garlic and having it produce 13 more!
I was also interested in incorporating garlic as a natural pest repellant in the garden. I had been doing some research on companion plantings, where certain combinations of vegetables, herbs, and flowers are grown together to provide natural insect and disease resistance. (A great older article on this idea can be found here from the Mother Earth News archives) Garlic is cited over and over again concerning its effectiveness against mosquitoes and other insects. Another article stated that the smell of growing garlic would even deter garden pests of the mammalian persuasion away from garden beds. Unfortunately the squirrels and opossums in my yard missed that particular article, and as such, scampered frequently through my garlic bed and into the neighboring strawberries. However, I still the believe that the idea is an incredibly beneficial one to incorporate into gardening plans, if even just for the idea of separating your plantings to reduce the impact of pests of a particular crop.
This idea can be very important when dealing with pests such as the squash vine borer. Anyone who has ever grown squash knows the heartbreak of seeing your plants wither and die seemingly out of nowhere. A little investigation yields the grainy entrance wounds along the base of the plant stems, the sure-fire indicator that the vine borer larva is hungrily at work. Attempts to cut into the stems, kill the borers and save the plants are a crapshoot at best, and there is no greater frustration than losing an entire pumpkin plant well before its time because of an invasion. The vine borer adults are a type of seslid moth, though they resemble wasps with their scarlet legs and buzzy movements. They are easy to spot in the garden, and a little regular patrolling will let you know when they have arrived. Because the adults are attracted to the color yellow, yellow bowls filled with water work as borer traps and will help alert you to their presence, though by no means will it catch them all before eggs are laid and the damage is done. Instead of the big blocks of summer squash that I usually grow in the garden, this year I interspersed my plantings with rows of carrots and butternut squash, a naturally borer-resistant squash due to its solid stem. This made it much easier to spot the adults, which I promptly smashed on every leaf that I caught them lolling about on. Not only is the method effective for reducing populations, but it is extremely personally satisfying for anyone with a vine borer vendetta. It is the second week of June and all of my plants are healthy and borer-free to date, though I am still vigilant. I'm not sure what effect the carrots may have had on my healthy squash so far, but I am enjoying my harvest. An old article that I recently came across recommends borage, marigold, nasturtium, and oregano as allies to deter squash bugs, which is something that I will try next year.
I will also be incorporating the idea of companion planting if I decide to plant another spring crop of broccoli next year. If you read my earlier post, you remember my cabbage worm encounters. I have read that mint, thyme, and tansy deter cabbage worms and moths, so I will experiment with those combinations to see if they bear fruit (and not worms). Now if anyone has any suggestions for effective companion plantings to ward off opossums, I am all ears . . .
Worry not, animal lovers, this guy and four of his friends (so far) were humanely relocated to a big block of swampy woods a few miles away where they can roam to their hearts content and leave my strawberries in peace! I know that some of you out there may not agree with my methods, but when it comes to choosing between that little guy and this little one on who gets the strawberries . . .
Eli will win every time!
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