Last month, Shannon built us eight new raised beds on the farm to support my expansion plan. All the bed bottoms were lined with cardboard and filled to the brim with organic material (i.e. tree limbs, fallen leaves, plant prunings, etc.). The beds were left to settle for a week or two before being filled with our growing medium mixture.

Then, on the October full moon (aka “Hunter’s Moon” – said to be a time for new beginnings, making plans, and starting a new phase of life), my twin sister and I sowed 300 garlic seeds on the farm.

In less than a week, green garlic stalks began popping through the deep leaf mulch. Now, just a month since planting, our garlic is going strong. It must’ve been the full moon😉.

Farmer Field Notes

Garlic is one of my favorite things to grow. It’s SUPER easy, low-maintenance, and only needs 6 – 8 inches of growing space around it. Garlic is an awesome companion plant for natural growing. The smell of garlic is known to repel many bugs, so there’s no need for toxic sprays in your garden. Just plant some delicious garlic!

Even if you don’t have a whole bed to devote to growing garlic, it’s great to plug it between other plants in the garden or grow it in containers. I like to sprinkle some organic bone meal and kelp meal at the bottom of each planting hole for a slow-release, high concentration of potassium and phosphorus to support robust root development.