Garlic report 2025-

 Selling at Boulder Farmer's Market through mid-September 

The harvest was disappointing this year with both fields being greatly affected by some winter weather events and producing lots of very tiny garlic. (Hot weather followed quickly by extreme cold) We lost almost all of the Inchelium Red and Persian Star garlic, with the exception of tiny garlic or garlic "rounds".  Luckily there was also some garlic planted at different times that came out very nice. Some that will be sold and some that will be saved for seed. 

We started selling garlic at the Boulder Farmers Market August 9th and will probably be sold out by September 13th or 20th. 

Disease.  One of our fields had some noticeable damage from garlic stem bloat nematodes, and some bacterial disease as well. Ironically, garlic from that field came out looking decent otherwise. However we don't recommend planting it for seed. Our other field had the most weather damage but no diseased garlic that we found. There is a limited amount of Chesnok Red and German Extra Hardy we can sell from that field that could be planted in a home garden if the hot water soak method is used. (see the instructions under the "pages" section of this site.)

 

     

Peppers!

 

Buy your Pepper Plants June 1st- June 10th!

We recommend planting June 10th

 

 

Sweet Peppers • Hot Peppers!

It's finally getting close to time to plant peppers!  We will plant ours around June 10th (they can often go in a bit earlier in Boulder). They do NOT like cool ground temperatures! (Peppers don't thrive or produce well if planted too early.) We have gotten a good crop of peppers almost every year for the last 23 years with the late planting strategy. Some will have to be covered when we get the first frost in September or October. Most of the green ones will turn red by September, some in August.  We have many kinds of hot and sweet pepper plants including our very favorites that grow well at WeeBee Farms.

 

Hot Peppers

Early Jalapeno • Anaheim • Serrano • Bulgarian Carrot Chile • Santaka Hot Asian • Shishito

 

 

 

Bulgarian Carrot Chile

One of our favorite hot peppers. It has a pleasant sweet, fruity flavor that complements the heat. A very productive pepper plant that grows only 18” high but may have 40-55 peppers per plant. The peppers are 3” long and good in eggs, salsa, pickling, marinades, hot sauces or for roasting and cooking. Go easy because they are very hot!

5,000–30,000 Scovilles

About 68 days to maturity

 

 

Shishito Peppers

Small 2-4”, mild Japanese pepper for roasting, pan-frying and grilling.

Thin walls blister and char easily when roasted or grilled, taking on rich flavor that is delicious with coarse salt and lemon juice. Not hot but the occasional fruit may display heat. Typicallyused green, but eventually turns orange and red with sweeter flavor. Prolific!

2ft high plants may be planted in containers

Days to Maturity: 55-60 days green • from Organic Seed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Peppers!

Sweet Italians Peppers: Jimmy Nardello • Chervena Chushka • Carmen

Bell: King Crimson  (a good bell pepper that produces well and early)

 

 

 

Jimmy Nardello

Jimmy Nardello is a longtime favorite of ours for salads and veggie stir fries- most don't make it into the house because we snack on them in the garden.

walled 6-8" long. Good raw, in stir-fries and fried.

Brought to Connecticut from the village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy in 1887 by Jimmy Nardello’s mother.

Tall plants should be staked.

76 days to maturity (red) • From Organic Seed

 

 

 

 

Carmen Sweet Italian

  In our search for good organic pepper seeds we found this extra sweet one. These large red Italian peppers are super- sweet, and the plants are really productive. Use them for salads, stir-frying, stuffing, roasting and eating fresh off the vine. These are definitely worth growing. They are 5-6" long with thick walls. The plants are leafy which helps prevent sunscald on the peppers as they ripen.

30" high plants need staking.

Days To Maturity- 60 green; 80 red ripe

from Organic Seed

 

 

 

 

Chervena Chushka

Fabulous Romanian Sweet pepper!

 WE'RE BACK!!

Our first market with garlic is tomorrow August 17th!

We're very excited to be back and will have a good selection of eating garlic, variety bags, and bargain bags. Come see us at the Boulder Farmer's Market.

Our first market with garlic will be

August 17th!

We look forward to seeing you then!!

We have lots of good garlic to sell for eating, and will be at the Boulder Farmers Market on Saturdays until October.

We will not be selling garlic for planting this year due to finding disease in the field we harvested from.

 

(See July 26th Post below for more details)

Disease update for WeeBee Farms.

 
Skin Blotch disease
This year we found a lot of abnormal looking garlic in our field and had it tested at Cornell University. The main disease they found is called Skin Blotch. Apparently our moist conditions during the Winter and Spring accelerated the growth of this fungus, which we have had in small amounts in our soil in past years. It is mostly a cosmetic issue on the outside papers and doesn’t affect the eating quality. However we have had to take of more of the outside papers than usual, so our garlic probably won’t store as long as usual.

Here is a link to more info about skin blotch disease:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/page/edit/5695443834704379401/63715374088994246

Or 

                                         https://bpp.oregonstate.edu/problems-stored-garlic

 

Garlic Nematodes
The other disease we have present to a smaller degree is garlic stem bloat nematodes. These can cause deformed garlic and other issues. Generally we can see which bulbs are severely infected and have thrown those out. However the garlic we’re selling this year should not be used for seed planting.

Here is a link to more information about the nematode issue https://www.mofga.org/resources/garlic/garlic-bloat-nematode/

 

 

 

 

The good news about the garlic that was tested this year is that Cornell found NO evidence of White Rot, which we have had a problem with in the past. 

Garlic Update 7/5/24

WeeBee Farms will not be selling any planting garlic this year. We have found significant disease in the field we harvested from, and the garlic is not suitable for planting. We recommend you get your planting garlic from Toohey Farms at the Boulder Farmer's Market or purchase it online.
We will be selling good garlic for eating in August/September at the Boulder Farmer's Market.

Stay tuned for more information.

Garlic Planting- almost finished

 Garlic Planting at WeeBee Farms

We are almost finished with the garlic planting now and the weather made it smooth and easy (with the exception of the 10/29 snow and 5º temperature.

Now it’s time to get them all watered in for the winter. This year we’re watering about 4 hours per area with the overhead oscillating sprinkler.
Wishing the garlics a peaceful winter with no giant temperature fluctuations!

See you next season!!

Last of WeeBee Farms Garlic for the Season!

September 30th will be our last big day!

We'll have a good selection of garlic including our longest storing, our best cooking garlic and some of our larger garlics for eating or planting.

We'll have a limited selection of garlic left to sell on October 7th.

On the 30th the CU home game starts at 10am, so we recommend coming after 10 when the fans are all in their seats and traffic has died down. Free parking will probably be available at the RTD station at 14th & Walnut as well as under the Chase bank at 13th & Canyon.

GARLIC UPDATE-  Predicted Sell-Out by end of September!
Garlic sales have been really strong so far, and we are predicting to be sold out by September 23rd or 30th, with the selection starting to decrease as of next week.

Come Early or after 10! (CU Game)
We will be at market tomorrow September 9th with a good selection of garlic. Because the CU Home game starts at 10am, the best time to come is early at 8am or between 10 and 12:30.
Parking may be available in the RTD garage (1400 Walnut St)

Or, try parking at the underground garage under the Chase Bank, 1301 Canyon. (Turn North on 13th st, then East into the entrance)

Planting Garlic, 3-Pack

 Here is the list of garlics that will be available tomorrow in the regular bins:

 • Chesnok Red- Excellent-tasting hard neck, originally from the Republic of Georgia. Earthy lingering flavor with a unique zesty bite. One of the best garlics for roasting and sautéing. Stores to December. Highly Medicinal.        PINK

• Korean Red Hot-  A treasure from Asia. Eaten raw, robust flavor will wake up your mouth! A superb cooking garlic. Spicy and mellow at first, then with building heat. Will keep until November.                      ORANGE

 

• German Extra Hardy- Great sliced raw, addictive garlic taste, with full flavor. Big, easy to peel cloves are perfect for pesto! Excellent in tomato sauce: put in at end of heating. Loses flavor if cooked too long. Will keep to November.          BLUE

 

• Romanian Red - Brought from Romania 100 years ago.  Spicy and hot! Big, easy to peel cloves. Use in BBQ sauce, pickles, fresh salsa, marinades. Stores to November.  YELLOW

 

• Inchelium Red- Softneck excellent for roasting.  Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington. One of the best-tasting softnecks with a mild, lingering flavor. Stores til January      RED

 

• Persian Star- Versatile for cooking or raw dishes. Spicy, exotic and very flavorful. Try on salads, in dips or in pesto. Great with green beans and veggies! Originally from Uzbekistan.  Stores to December.    GREEN 

 

We'll also have a few variety bags, and some Jumbo garlic for planting.

First Garlic sales this Saturday, August 5th.

We have a few special garlics, and our regular favorites.

The featured garlic is a rare one that was unusually productive this year: Guatemalan

 It's my very favorite one for eating on crackers, in hummus and guacamole because it's not hot, but has an abundance of garlic flavor.

 

Here's a list of what we'll have this Saturday, with the color codes:

• Chesnok Red- Excellent-tasting hard neck, originally from the Republic of Georgia. Earthy lingering flavor with a unique zesty bite. One of the best garlics for roasting and sautéing. Stores to December. Highly Medicinal.               PINK

 

•  Guatemalan – This rare garlic is the favorite of WeeBee Farms for its superior raw flavor for veggies, hummus and bruschetta.  6-8 gorgeous burgundy cloves. Easy to peel. Stores to October.  GREEN

 

•  German Extra Hardy- Great sliced raw, addictive garlic taste, with full flavor. Big, easy to peel cloves are perfect for pesto! Excellent in tomato sauce: put in at end of heating. Loses flavor if cooked too long. Will keep to November.       BLUE

 

•  Inchelium Red- Softneck excellent for roasting.  Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington. One of the best-tasting softnecks with a mild, lingering flavor. Stores til January        RED

 

•  Amethyst- Gorgeous purple garlic!. A great choice for guacamole and pesto. Slightly spicy flavor mellows just a bit when cooked. Stores through December.           PURPLE

 

•  Tzan - (Also called “Mexican Red”). Superb Taste & EASY to Peel! Tangy & flavorful with pasta and for Asian cooking. A delicious raw garlic. Stays firm through November, but sprouts early.   NO COLOR