On 2022-06-17, songbird  wrote:   
   > fos@sdf.org wrote:   
   > ...   
   >> i had small garlic last year, not as small as that. this year's garlic   
   >> will be mature in a few more weeks, mid july-ish. the plants are bigger   
   >> and the stalks a lot thicker than the year before.   
      
   >   that's progress!  :)   
      
   i hope so. after eating home grown garlic store bought garlic doesn't   
   taste like anything. am growing romanian red.   
      
   >> the first planting i planted too late. within a week or two the soil   
   >> froze. last year, the second, i planted the garlic within days of   
   >> receiving the seed garlic in early october (growing zone 6) giving the   
   >> roots a chance to develop.   
      
   >> the first year i guessed at the soil nutrients and put some bone meal   
   >> and a bit of potash in the holes when planting the garlic thinking that   
   >> would help grow nice fat bulbs. last fall i picked up one of the cheap   
   >> rapid test kits, checked ph & NPK and amended as recommended before   
   >> planting.   
      
   >> this year although the plants and stalk are larger, the leaves aren't as   
   >> green as i think they should be and some are showing a bit of yellow. i   
   >> haven't put on nitrogen which would promote leaf growth at the sacrifice   
   >> of bulb growth, but i have used fish and seaweed emulsion a few times   
   >> which is higher in phosphorus and potassium than it is nitrogen.   
      
   >> right after i harvest the garlic this year, i'll get the LaMotte test   
   >> kit out, test the soil, and amend per recommendations. then i'll mulch   
   >> the bed with leaf mold until the end of september, test and amend again,   
   >> and depending on how large the garlic is plant either purchased seed   
   >> garlic or garlic saved from this years harvest for 2023.   
      
   >> am i following the right path here?   
      
   >   don't put amendments in the hole, but mix them througout the   
   > soil area that the garlic cloves will be planted into, you can   
   > use poorer quality soil on top of the cloves because most of the   
   > roots will not grow upwards that much.   
      
   >   mainly after that you don't want it to dry out completely until   
   > the next summer.  when frozen outside you don't need to water at   
   > all until the snow melts or if you somehow get an extended dry   
   > and warm spell during the winter.   
      
   this i need to keep a closer eye on in the winter. i never considered   
   it.   
      
   >   keep weeded.  fertilize only when actively growing.   
      
   our winters (western ny) are about 5 months long. does testing and   
   amending nutrients before planting in fall and again at the beginning   
   of spring growing season sound like too much? organic material is   
   amended before planting.   
      
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