Well we originally thought we would not begin any work on the land until the renos were complete.  The intent was to just start prepping the land in the summer for planting the following year.  We have discussed a lot about what we would grow, and have landed on quite the eclectic mix.  I have opted for garlic and mushrooms.  My husband, high rotation vegetable garden.  It is yet to be decided what we will actually do.  However, I have investigated garlic farming a fair bit, more than anything else to date.  It appears that it is best to plant garlic in the fall.  So I thought…let’s experiment and plant some this fall and see how easily it will grow.  So online I went to research types of garlic and to order some. Who knew there were so many varieties of garlic.  I decided on three types to try: Red Russian, Yugoslavian Organic Porcelain and Italian Hardneck.  You see, the farmhouse already has a lovely area that was being used as a vegetable garden by the previous owner.  All cleared out with nicely prepped earth.  It is an ideal spot to test our garlic experiment.  If you are someone who would like to try growing garlic on your own, make sure you buy from a reputable seed store, do not use the garlic from the grocery stores.  There is a significant difference in taste and future saleability.  Stay tuned for more on this.  Also make sure you purchase garlic that grows well in your area.  As we would eventually want to sell our garlic at a farmer’s market we also looked for what sells well in our area.

My order arrived around thanksgiving.  I had read that once you tried the gourmet garlic purchased from a seed store or market, that you would never go back to the regular store bought.  I kept thinking how different could it actually be.  I mean it’s garlic.  Upon its arrival, I first noted the size of the garlic.  Massive bulbs and cloves compared to the normal store bought garlic.  So there is one difference.  But the big question came around taste.  As the family sat around discussing thanksgiving dinner, we also began discussing garlic.  Yes, a very hot thanksgiving topic.  We asked not only how different can the seed store garlic be from the grocery store garlic, but also how different can garlic taste between the three different varieties I had just purchased.  So of course we had to find out. And, what better way than to do a blind taste test.  So I chopped up a couple of cloves from each type of garlic, put in separate containers, marked each with a number that only I knew what they corresponded to and the fun began.  Yes we know how to have a good time at our family gatherings.  We first tasted each in their raw state and then added oil and dipped in some bread.  Each person then recorded the garlic in the order they preferred, while commenting on the flavours and why.  Before I reveal the exciting results, I will say that we were all surprised by the different tastes of each.  One spicier, one sweeter, one mild, one strong.  So yes garlic does taste differently.  But which was the favorite? Yugoslavian Organic Porcelain came out above the rest, for its spicy, mellowing, strong flavour. Ah…good times.  And I have to say I have been converted.  There is no comparison… gourmet garlic is juicier and packed with flavour, whether raw or cooked.  I will not go back and am now addicted to it.

Since we are now sold on garlic. Let’s grow some of our own.  So up next… the true test… land prep.  Remember I said the house had an already prepped piece of land for planting.  Well that was a couple of months before we got the keys.  Well who knew that full on grass could grow in the fall that quickly.  When we got to the property, garlic in hand with great anticipation of the start of the farming dream, the dream was squashed, as the plot had been fully grown over with grass.  So now in order to plant, we had to clean out the garden again.  Now the real work begins.  You see removing grass is a tricky process.  In order to get the roots you need to actually skim the entire top layer of soil from the garden to get the grass and roots, at least a couple inches deep.  That is not the end, as you then have to weed what is left behind.  Tough work when all you have are a few basic garden tools.  What we thought would be a simple planting process took two backbreaking days to clear the garden in order to be able to plant.

Now we are ready for planting.  Ugh my back already hurts!  I sense many hot baths in my future.  First you have to prep the garlic by breaking the bulbs apart. This is a good handstrengthing exercise as the type of garlic we purchased is hard neck garlic, where you have to grasp the bulb and smash the neck against a hard surface to crack the bulb apart.  So make sure you have the time set aside for this process, as it needs to be done a couple days prior to planting.  Once the garlic is prepped we headed to the garden.  Given it was November it was quite cool out.  So dressed warmly we began prepping three beds for planting, one for each type. Garlic cloves were placed in appropriately spaced holes pointy side up and covered in a nice blanket of earth.  Now we just wait and see what happens.  Ok… yes there will be some care required along the way: watering, weeding (ugh more weeding), etc.  Will they grow?  Will they survive?  Will we have to deal with pests?  The reason garlic was one of the crops we landed on was because it is supposed to be easy to grow with little maintenance.  We shall see.  Garlic cannot be picked until the end of the summer, so patience is key.  Maybe a time lapse video for you the watch.  Now that could be fun!

After this experience, here is a little farming lesson for beginner farmers like us…. prep ground earlier in the year and once complete, cover with tarp to prevent weed growth and unnecessary extra work.  Now we did not have the luxury to do so with the timing of the purchase, but will definitely do so next year.  It is all about minimizing non value add work.  

So once we completed this process, we hobbled away thinking of pain meds and the reality of what we were taking on.  Thinking about the amount of work we just put in to prep and plant a small garden bed. And, we want to tackle a whole acre?  Ummm…the family may be right.  Are we crazy?  Farmers we think we can be…. you are probably laughing or crying with me right now.  But it is all in the journey, right?  Well this journey is far from over.