Posts Tagged ‘amending’

Cover Cropping, Garlic Planting, Sandhill Cranes

This fall I am planting about 140 lbs of garlic.  I Saved about 30 lbs from the spring and got the rest from Peaceful Valley. There’s a lot of Cal Early and Cal Late, but also “Music”, “Chesnok Red” and “Mexican Purple”.  About half is in the ground now.  I am amending the beds with Feather Meal and, although less so, rock phosphate and potassium.  “How to Grow Great Garlic” recommends especially amending with Blood Meal (or another organic nitrogen source) in the fall, so I’m following that.

A recommendation came my way which I had never thought about.  Since I’ll be farming new land in the spring, I was told not to wait until then to apply the rock phosphate.  Instead incorporate it in the fall with the cover crop.  That way, by the end of spring, the microbes will have made more of the phosphorous available to the crop, since it takes a while.  So, I’m gonna do that too.

If I listen closely, and look even closer, I can hear and see the Sandhill Cranes flying far overhead.  They passed this way, going north, in the the spring - February/March.  Their call is so beautiful.  So, if you’re outside, keep your ears open in a quiet place, and you just might hear their call.

Andrew