Greenhouse planting begins

Greenhouse in October 2011 snow

  

Photo: Onions in April 2011
We started planting onion seeds in the greenhouse at the beginning of February. We've sowed lots of my new favorite "Red Cippolini" These are the Italian flat-shaped onions that have fabulous taste and store for quite a while. For yellow storing onions we're growing Cortlands and for Australian Brown. Both of these seeds have been grown organically. We'll grow a few Walla Wallas but they came out pretty small last year. I hear these can be grown over winter for bigger onions so I may try that next year. We won't be growing any "Candy" sweet onions this year because Monsanto now owns all the seeds for these.  I won't support Monsanto and am upset that they have bought the rights to some of my favorite vegetable seeds. Check out the following link for more info http://inspirationgreen.com/organic-vegetables-start-out-as-seed.html  and another link to learn about Monsanto's history http://bestmeal.info/monsanto/company-history.shtml#timeline
It's almost time to start sowing seeds for chard, kale and lettuce- hard to believe!

How Boulder county Farmland policies affect me and you. (Repeat of August 19th blog entry)

I used to think I could grow organically on my own small farm and not worry about what other people were doing. Never did I want to become fanatical or political! Then 2 things happened.

No GMO's on Boulder County Open Space! Endorse this policy by Dec 8th

A Citizens group (GM-Know) has written a policy for the Boulder County Open Space agricultural lands that does not allow for GMO crops to be planted on our lands and addresses healthy soils, local foods and much more. I have reviewed it and agree with the recommendations and have signed it. This is an alternative policy to the one the Croplands Advisory panel came up with which continues to approve the use of GMO's.
Here is the link: http://www.bcccp.info/
Please read it and endorse this with your on-line signature if you also agree with the no-GMO policy and the other policies that require the farmers to maintain the health of the soils and the environment. The policy also bans the use of neonicitinoids on the croplands to protect honeybees and other pollinators (see previous posts on these pesticides from August 19 and September 19, 2011 and the Dan Rather story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9BkfaVCv84).
Also consider attending the public meeting on Dec 8th where the public gets to tell the commissioners their opinions on the subject.

Commissioners’ Public Hearing:

Thursday December 8, 6:00 pm

Longmont Conference Center

1850 Industrial Circle

Longmont, CO

Garlic planting almost halfway done before Big Snow

I got almost half of my 350 lbs of garlic planted by Tuesday afternoon. Then we got 15 inches of snow! Luckily I'm used to this. There's always a blizzard or two in the middle of planting. If we get warm weather I could resume planting again as early as next week.  There have been many Thanksgiving days over the years that I have been out planting the last of my garlic, I remember 2 or 3 where it was close to 70 degrees. I don't anticipate going that long with planting this year, but I'll try to keep my schedule flexible just in case.

Last Day for Garlic Sales will be Saturday Oct. 22nd!

Yesterday was a record-breaking day for garlic sales. Mostly people wanting to buy for planting. Yes, now is the time! I have some left to sell next Saturday, and may be sold out by noon or so. I do have plenty of the "variety bags" to sell at this point. These are 6 different garlics, color-coded for identification, and the cost is $10.50.
I will have lots of planting instructions on hand to give out. It's great fun to grow your own garlic- and not that hard. I can't seem to grow enough garlic for everyone in Boulder County- so if you really love garlic it's worth growing your own.
See the Sept 22nd post for planting instructions

How much water does garlic need?

The biggest mistake people make is not watering enough- the garlic comes out really small with insufficient water. We keep the sprinkler going on the garlic bed for 8-12 hours after planting. (It's an oscillating sprinkler that goes back and forth over a large area. For a smaller area, maybe 2-4 hours would be sufficient.) This soaks the ground deeply and protects it through an average winter until February, when we water again. During an extra-dry, windy winter we do an extra watering in early January or so.
When Spring comes, treat garlic like your other garden vegetables, watering as much as lettuce or tomatoes.

New garlic for Saturday 9/24

For Fall cooking this one will get your attention!

• Siberian- An outstanding strain originally grown by European peasants for market. The fat, dark brown cloves peel easily and taste strong. Good roasted and in stir fry, soups, stews and potato dishes. Will store through December.    YELLOW

(note, during the last few weeks I used YELLOW as the color-code for Georgian Crystal, but Yellow will be used for Siberian for now on)

How to plant garlic

Plant garlic in mid-October (earlier for high elevations.) Select the largest cloves from the largest bulbs. Original bulb size determines the size of your garlic, as well as how much water it gets.

How To Plant- Plant in good enriched soil in FULL sun. Separate cloves, plant each clove 2 to 2 1/2” deep, and 5” to 7” apart, with the pointy end up. Use only large cloves. Don't worry if the cloves are soft or have no skins. Mulch 2” to 4” with straw or grass clippings (no herbicides or pesticides.) Water very well after planting- we water for 12 hours after planting.

Honeybee News- Dan Rather Report

Most of you know I am a hobby beekeeper besides being the "garlic queen". I have become deeply concerned for the future of the honeybee and the crops that they pollinate. The cable TV show "Dan Rather Reports" had a segment on honeybees and pesticides in Colorado on 9/20. It features my friend Tom Theobald - the Boulder County beekeeper who "broke" the story about the EPA being negligent in protecting honeybees from the newest pesticides.
Here is a link to watching the story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9BkfaVCv84  OR http://vimeo.com/29419200
I have been told that almost all commonly used GMO seeds are coated with these pesticides, besides being genetically modified. (Another reason not to support GMO's in Boulder County).

Garlic Descriptions for Saturday September 17th. Last day Oct 8th or 15th?

I will have the same garlic as last week plus these:
•  Dukanskij-  A delightful hardneck, originally from Kazahkistan. Raw, its starts smooth but finishes with a bite. Sweet and pleasant when baked or roasted. Fat cloves are easy to peel. Will keep through December. BROWN

• Shatili- Excellent in green chile & curries. Intense, spicy flavor stays strong through cooking. High in medicinal compounds. Gorgeous hardneck, originally from the Republic of Georgia. Keeps through December.  BLACK

Usually I sell out of garlic in early October.  October 8th or 15th will likely be the final market for selling garlic this year. I will keep you posted.