Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - [Market-farming] Mulching garlic was garlic rotation

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Allan Balliett <aballiett AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Mulching garlic was garlic rotation
  • Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 08:59:52 -0400

Straw is up to $5+ a bale in these parts (Washington DC environs) Blame it on the horses.

I'm wondering if it's a waste of time to mulch garlic with big bale mulch hay. Works good on spuds, but with its solid stems I don't know that it would insulate well enough for over wintering garlic.

And, what about this: fresh daily litter from horse stables. Probably woodchip based, but with plenty of urine and bisquits (but not loaded: really changed daily from small stalls) Too much carbon? Too much nitrogen? I wonder how much of either by the time growth REALLY starts for the garlic in the spring.

Thanks

-Allan

I don't know that there's a bad place in rotation for garlic as long as the soil is nitrogen rich, drains well, and isn't too sandy. I've read that one shouldn't plant it where there is any indication of fusarium, but I've never seen it on our farm, so I can't say. For the same reason, I've heard it recommended not to follow grass family crops, which are prone to fusarium. But, many garlic growers, including me, mulch with grasses like oat straw (I use chopped cornstalks).

I suppose intensely planted garlic will deplete nitrogen, but probably nothing that some manure/compost won't remedy.

I've only been growing garlic four years now (1/4 - 1/3 acre), and haven't planted it in the same place twice - and probably won't for the foreseeable future.

Our planting, too, has been hampered by wet conditions, and time is getting short up here. Praying for dry!

Jerry Ford
Howard Lake, MN
zone 3/4

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page