What part of the plant is a garlic bulb?

While purchasing my garlic and shallot stock, I spoke to the experts down at the feed and seed store about the problem I had with this past season's garlic... especially the hard-neck variety. At harvest, the cloves were not as filled out as I expected and the papery covering that protects the entire bulb was not there.

As usual, I learned something. Garlic bulbs are not part of the garlic plant's root system, nor are they part of the stem. And even though we plant individual cloves to produce the next crop of garlic, the cloves are not seeds. Can you believe? They're leaves! Who knew?

Yes, the garlic clove is actually a modified leaf. The leaves seen above the ground act as bulb wrappers. That's why it's important to make sure you dig up the bulbs before all the top leaves have dried down, to preserver some wrappers for the bulb to live in. Then, while cleaning the bulbs after drying, try to leave 4-5 wrappers for each bulb.

So, I may have had a couple of issues going on with my 2019 garlic harvest. Maybe I waited too long to harvest the hard-neck plants (hence the missing papery bulb cover) and maybe I should've fed my plants better (to plump up individual cloves). They recommended that I fertilize the soil prior to planting this fall with a mild organic 5-4-3 combination, then hit it with a higher nitrogen mix in the spring.

Today the garlic and shallot beds have been cleared of weeds, a brambling volunteer raspberry, rocks that keep rising to the surface, and other miscellaneous "trash." I spread the fertilizer as directed, just in time for rain expected tonight. I'll plant next week.

Processing the Produce

Catch of the Day

That's a 4-pounder!

Butternut Squash

Tea Time

So ... 5-1/4 ounces freshly picked calyxes translated into 2-1/2 ounces of hibiscus, cleaned and ready to steep in 2 cups of water. That made a nice concentrate ... plenty enough for a few glasses of afternoon pick-me-up!

Hibiscus Sabdariffa

Success! Beautiful blooms, bright red calyxes. Wonder how many I'll get from these three plants? This morning I harvested 5-1/4 ounces of the calyxes. Really looking forward to tea time!

How much tea can be made from this small pile of calyxes?
I think I'll have to "save up"!

Instructions for making tea, from September 2016 post:
https://sueisinthegarden.blogspot.com/2016/09/hibiscus-sabdariffa-new-plant-for-garden.html

More about rosella in the garden:
https://ourpermaculturelife.com/how-to-grow-harvest-and-use-rosella-hibiscus-sabdariffa/

More about drinks and other foods that are infused with hibiscus:
https://www.nj.com/cooking/2013/12/power_flower_hibiscus_sabdarif.html

Drought

Still no rain since September 5. On top of that, record breaking hot temperatures (upper 90s!) predicted in the coming week. The lawn is crunchy. The garden requires daily watering to encourage continued production of end-of-summer veggies AND prevent tiny seedlings with shallow roots from drying up altogether.

Caterpillars have attacked the curly parsley. Aphids have munched a few of the kohlrabi plants into oblivion. But the lettuce and spinach have germinated, and everything else looks great. Time for a rain dance?

Have my seeds sprouted yet?

Yes! Baby plants have already popped out of the ground!

It's hard to believe how quickly some plants germinate. This morning, I see that tatsoi, mustard, arugula, and kale have erupted - tiny little leaves pushing up through the soil - and some have been above ground for a couple of days already. These seeds were planted on September 22. Four days ago!

The spinach and lettuce have not yet shown themselves. Stay tuned...