We have lots of big garlic left- Chesnok Red and Inchelium Red. These big ones are good for planting or eating and will keep til December or January. You can buy them separately or bagged up with planting instructions. We also have quite a few bargain bags and "stock-up" bags to keep you in garlic for the winter...
Come get the last of the garlic on Saturday the 23rd at our last market for the season.
Thank you for a great season!!
Two more markets for WeeBee Farms Garlic!
We'll be at Boulder Market Oct. 9th and Sat. Oct. 23rd. (We won't be at market Oct 16th).
We still have lots of Inchelium Red & Chesnok Red as well as a few other kinds. And Jumbo garlic for eating or planting. Come and get it!
Visit weebeefarms.com to check availability or to pre-order
Garlic for Eating! Garlic for Planting*!
It’s been quite a garlic season. We’ve had an abundance of garlic for 7 weeks and will have another big Market Day tomorrow. We’ll be in Boulder as usual (until October 9th). And thanks to my trusty helper Georgia -we’ll be in Longmont too on Sept 25th.
We have about 10 different types to choose from, including our famous variety bags (pictured) with 5 or 8 varieties, color-coded and with helpful info. We also have “planting” variety bags with extra-large garlic and instructions on how to plant. *A hot water soak is recommended. This is probably the peak of garlic availability so come on by before our supplies dwindle. October 2nd will be another big Market day too.
For planting instructions see our info pages on this page (top right area) https://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/p/how-to-plant-garlic.html
August 7th will be the first garlic sales date at Boulder Farmer's Market.
I can't wait to see you there!
-Karen
After digging/pulling the garlic at WeeBee Farms
At the time I pull garlic I shake the extra soil off of each bulb by "whapping" the bulb on my palm. With big clods of soil I give the clod a little twist and then shake it or whap it. I don't use water to wash the dirt off the garlic as it could affect the curing process and storage life. Some people do wash their garlic, however, especially if they plan to sell or eat it right away.
After pulling and doing the rough cleaning I lay my garlic on racks to dry, giving them plenty of space at first, then condensing them into piles after a week or so. I give the garlic 3 weeks to fully dry, with the roots and stems on. They plump up while curing as the stems dry. It's fun to see the garlic get bigger!
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| Some of the 2021 Harvest drying in the barn |
Here is a link to a video of me cleaning garlic after 3 weeks of curing. WeeBee Farms garlic cleaning
The bulbs weren't too dirty and were very dry in this video so it was pretty easy. Some garlic comes out much dirtier and can take more time to clean, but usually the outside layer of skin can be rubbed off with a little effort. Try not to take of more than one layer of skin.
Here's a link to a youtube video put out by a guy named Ned Cooke about his method of garlic cleaning: "How to Clean Harvested Garlic After Drying" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHaYI8RDgs
Here at WeeBee Farms the garlic is late due to a cooler than usual Late Winter and Spring. July 1st is usually the magic day, but not this year. As of July 5th we have just picked the softnecks, and a couple other types, but a lot of it won't be harvested til July 10th or later.
So how can you tell when it's ready?
The general rule of thumb is to pick when half the leaves are brown, but 40% brown is actually ideal, for longer storage of your garlic. (Each leaf represents one layer of wrapper on the bulb). The trick is to make sure to count the leaves at the bottom that have already dried up and may have fallen off.
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| 3 brown leaves at the bottom |
Smaller garlic dries up faster so gets picked earlier. If yours is still all green and has big thick stems, it may turn out to be huge! We have some huge garlic here too.
You may gain a bit more size by leaving your garlic in the ground longer, but I've found that it also gains considerable size on the drying racks if you leave the stems on while they dry.
If you leave it in the ground too long the wrappers will deteriorate and your garlic won't store long and may start to spread open.
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| Picked these softnecks already |
Softneck garlics will start to fall over if you wait too long, so I pick those earlier. This Inchelium Red softneck is long-storing and I want to keep it that way! I picked it with 3 brown leaves, 2 yellow leaves and 4 green leaves.
Watering before harvest- We generally don't water much in the week before harvest so the soil won't be too wet. If the soil is very hard and dry we water lightly a couple of days before harvest unless significant rain is predicted.
A special note- the "Turban" garlics mature 2-3 weeks earlier and were fully ripe and harvested on June 16th.
All in all it is a fantastic garlic year at WeeBee Farms, and we are SO grateful. We will be back at the Boulder Farmers Markt selling garlic soon. And we'll be in Longmont in September for a market too, so Stay Tuned!
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| To be picked tomorrow |
Last summer we saw Monarch butterflies dozens of times- mostly on the Tithonia (Torch Flower/ "Mexican Sunflower") They breed on our abundant milkweed and then collect pollen and nectar from several different flowers with the Tithonia being their favorite. They're not common to see in Colorado and we haven't seen many over the years but we see more and more each year here at the farm.
Tithonia gets to be about 5ft tall and 3ft wide and grows in full sun. They are the plant on our farm that attracts the most pollinators of all. Especially bumblebees, butterflies and honeybees. If you have a spot- come and get some at market this Saturday or next.
We specialize in flowers for pollinators and have a great selection at this time of year. These are all grown without any chemicals (NO neonicitinoids) to be safe for our bees and yours. We use above and beyond organic methods (see our blurb at the bottom of the blog)
Happy Gardening!!
To see full descriptions of all our flowers or to purchase them online visit weebeefarms.com
This weekend is Mother's Day weekend, and we will have lots of salad bowls to choose from. Moms have been admiring them for a month now- and would love to have one of their own!
We have two sizes. The 18" bowl is our standard and is easy to care for with plenty of room for all the lettuces and other goodies. The 15" bowl is much easier to carry!
Salad bowls are a way to have homegrown salads with a mini-garden on the deck or patio. They
are filled with lettuces and other cool-weather greens that have been
hardened off and are ready to keep outside. Usually you will harvest a
salad a week, or more, by picking off the outside large leaves, and
leaving at least half the plant. Most of the greens will be done by the first of July when it's too hot for them to survive.
Care of your salad bowl: Keep in a cool
spot if possible. They love sun when it's cool, but it helps to move
them into the shade when the weather is hot. They can survive temps down to 10ยบ.
A half day of sun will keep them growing well and full shade is OK when it turns hot. Water
your salad bowl well with deep soakings. Fertilize with an organic
liquid fertilizer.
After your bowl is finished you can plant some hot weather plants in it
and then use it the bowl again for a few years. If you have chives in
the bowl replant these to the garden and they will live for many years. The bowl is reusable and will last for a few years if you empty it for the winter.
Plants in the bowl:
Lettuce- just water well and pick the big leaves
Mustard- pick often, it gets big and the leaves get too hot after a whileArugula or Cilantro pick often, these go to flower quickly, and cutting often will prolong their life
Onions- Purple Bunching Onions. These are scallions. You can
use the greens or wait a while and pull up the whole little scallion
one by one or all at once.
Baby Carrots- harvest later in the summer
Baby Bok Choy- harvest in late May or early June before it starts to flower
Our first week at Boulder Farmer's Market is coming up on Saturday, April 24th
Come get your lettuce and kale starts, peas, bok choy, arugula, onions, salad bowls, flowers for pollinators and more...
Come on by to the market, or order from our website WeeBeeFarms.com to pick up at market or at the farm.
Things will look a little more "normal" at market- can't wait to see you there!
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| Kale & Lettuce in the greenhouse |
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| Mustard and Arugula starts |
