From: bobnospam@gmail.com   
      
   On 7/16/2022 6:37 PM, songbird wrote:   
   > fos@sdf.org wrote:   
   > ...   
   >   
   >    where abouts are you located?   
   >   
   >   
   >> i harvested my garlic a couple days ago. last year i was disappointed,   
   >> this year i'm satisfied but there's room for improvement. the average   
   >> size bulbs this year are the size of the largest i had last year. the   
   >> largest this year are huge, 2.5 to 3 inches diameter. about 15% of the   
   >> harvest is that size.   
   >   
   >    a step up in size is a good sign.  i'm not sure what your   
   > starting point was though.  did you use fresh seed garlic from   
   > a new source or is this from replanting what you've always   
   > been growing?   
   >   
   >   
   >> i did lose a lot of cloves. i planted 135 cloves and got 87 bulbs. i   
   >> used shredded straw as a mulch and failed to keep it fluffed up. i did   
   >> pull quite a bit off in the spring but it was too late, i found a lot a   
   >> lot of plants that sprouted and didn't make it to the surface. the ones   
   >> that survived were stunted and grew real small bulbs. i'm going to use a   
   >> different mulch, probably compost mixed with shredded leaves. what's not   
   >> clear to me is the depth of planting. should 2-3 inches of mulch be   
   >> included in the depth of planting? i planted 6" deep and added 2-3 inches   
   >> of shredded straw. if i use 2-3 inches of compost with shredded leaves,   
   >> should i plant only 3-4 inches deep in the actual soil?   
   >   
   >    since i don't know your growing conditions i can't really   
   > say too much other than if it is being indicated by results   
   > that mulch isn't helping then reduce it.  also not knowing   
   > your soil conditions for organic matter or the soil structure   
   > itself i'm not sure if you have too much organic matter or   
   > what is going on.   
   >   
   >   
   >> watering. i didn't pay close enough attention to keeping the soil moist.   
   >> in the fall i planted the cloves, covered with mulch, and left them   
   >> alone. this fall, over winter, and next spring, i'll be diligent about   
   >> maintaining moist soil.   
   >   
   >    it's really up to rainfall or snow cover (depending upon where   
   > you are at) as to how much moisture you've got so you do have to   
   > at least keep an eye on things.  it is rare here that we don't   
   > get enough soil moisture but we've had some dry spells the past   
   > few years that mean i've had to do a lot more watering than what   
   > i would consider normal.  gladly the past few days have finally   
   > given us a bit of rain.   
   >   
   >   
   >> last is fertilization. judging by the color of the plants which were   
   >> lighter green this year than last and despite much better results this   
   >> year, i'm confident i was too light with nitrogen. a soil test will   
   >> determine that next week. will be using less purchased amendments and   
   >> more compost, too.   
   >   
   >    if you've been regularly adding organic matter or if this   
   > was a one time thing and the soil community has caught up with   
   > the N and C digesting makes a difference in how things can   
   > work out.   
   >   
   >    generally i aim for replacing what i'm removing and then   
   > amend as best i can.  i'm seeing an improvement in gardens as   
   > i can get the worm populations restored but without being able   
   > to grow cover crops and use mulches it is much slower than it   
   > would be doing otherwise.  still with the mostly clay soils we   
   > have when i can get things added the clay does help hold the   
   > nutrients.   
   >   
   >    rains and wind can also bring some extra nutrients along.   
      
   I got the results of my first soil test last week. It was low on   
   Nitrogen, potassium, and sulfur, and at the top of the scale at 15%   
   organic matter. They say 5% is as high as you need. I guess I've been   
   overdoing the compost. Also very high on phosphate, which may be due to   
   the compost too. I also needed lime to raise the ph, which was at 6.1.   
      
   I am glad I did the test. We get 5 free tests (for life) from the   
   conservation district. After that, it is currently $25.   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)