Garden Update for June 12, 2010

Garlic Bulb Transplants

Of the two garlic starts I moved into the raised beds earlier this spring, I went out to find that the tops of one had died. So, I dug it up to see if the single clove had produced new ones. And low and behold, even though they are quite small there three or more cloves! Way cool. I’m going to let this bulb dry a bit before I attempt to separate the cloves. I can tell you this little dude is really potent. After handling the bulb, my hands smell of garlic. The bulb itself weighed in at 13 grams.

Onions Update

The onions that were started as sets continue to bulb up, but not as much as I would like. Right now most of the onions are less than three inches in diameter. I have the plants perhaps too close together and the soil is not of the best quality for this kind of plant. In any case, I will have a good supply to go to should I run out of the store brought.

Potted Kentucky Pole Beans Suffering

The Kentucky pole beans I started in a long tray just have not done very well. I used a potting mix but am beginning to think that since there are no nitrogen fixing bacteria present in this artificial soil that perhaps that is affecting growth. I also noticed that the roots were matted down at the bottom of the tray. So, I went ahead and moved them over to a section of raised bed that was formerly the home of a large overgrown parsley plant. I’ll see how they do in the new home.

Potato Blues

Both my plantings of potatoes have been attacked by ants!. Some of them are even dying at this point and I suspect the ants have decided to set up a colony in both these locations. I tried a soap solution, but that had limited effect. Also, there are Japanese beetles now in increasing numbers. I’ve killed at least twenty in just the past two days.