Seedy Saturday - Planting Garlic and Potatoes

I have managed to drag my butt out into the garden this week. I managed to get part of my overgrown back yard mowed and a couple of areas in the garden cleared out.

Part of the cleared space went to 'experiment' growing fall potatoes. I have always grown potatoes in early spring. But this year, I am going to try growing them in the fall too. I have some of my spring-harvested potatoes which were starting to sprout, so I planted 12 seed potatoes. It will be interesting to see what happens. Of course, with my luck, we will have a frost in mid-October and kill them. But it's an experiment and will see what happens with my red and white potatoes. 

The part of what I planted is something I am really excited about...elephant garlic! 

Ok. Truth is elephant garlic is not garlic, but rather an allium. Like onions or leeks. I ordered a pound of elephant garlic - which was a total of 25 cloves. HUGE cloves. One clove of elephant garlic is probably the same as a whole clove of garlic. 

One of the allures of growing elephant garlic is that it is supposed to be milder than regular garlic. Savvy is excited about the possible abundance of garlic, because she apparently has developed a craving for pickled garlic. 

I did give 4 cloves to a garden buddy/mentor. And of course, I do my research AFTER I plant something. It turns out not only does it take longer for elephant garlic to grow compared to regular garlic, but they produce 'corms'.

Corms are basically tiny, baby elephant garlic. So not only can I take some of the garlic when I harvest it next year and replant them in the fall for another crop, but I can take the corms and plant them. It will take 2 years before they actually are at the stage I want to harvest for the kitchen. 

The corms I harvest next year I will plant in the fall like I do the cloves of garlic. Then the following spring I can harvest the 'immature' elephant garlic, let it dry and then replant in the fall to harvest the following year. So it will take 2 years from corm to harvest for use. 

Therefore, if I do what I am supposed to do, my $25 investment will yield me elephant garlic forever! And should I decide to sell my elephant garlic - well, it goes for more than a clove of regular garlic. 

I also planted 21 cloves of hardneck garlic. In other words, I am protected against vampires in the coming months! 

But I was happy when I realized I had some organic fertilizer left over in the greenhouse which I added to the area where I was planting the garlic. And, because I mowed, I had some grass clippings to lay over the garlic bed as mulch. And I watered it in a bit. 

Then I stood there, staring at the area where I planted my garlic. And no - it didn't immediately sprout.

Luckily we have received some rain over the past couple of days. No gully washers at my house, but a nice, gentle rain. So my potatoes and garlic should be nice and happy in their new homes. 

Is it sad to be excited over growing elephant garlic?