| Greetings fellow Gardeners!The following
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| | surface. If you live in a colder climate
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| tutorial refers to garlic growing
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| | with significant freezing, then do plant
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| specifically, but can easily be used for
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| | deeper to protect the cloves, and
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| most onion crops as well.The following
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| | consider mulching, just like you do when
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| information is for general garlic growing
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| | you plant bulbs like tulips and
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| that I have used for my own home garden.
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| | daffodils. Water in the cloves and you
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| Of course, there are lots of specialty
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| | are done till spring!OK, spring has
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| seeds and plants that require more
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| | arrived and you anxiously watch the plot
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| specific techniques but as I am not a
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| | for any sign of growth.........and there
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| professional horticulturist, but a home
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| | they are! Now is the time to fertilize
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| gardener like yourselves, I will stick
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| | with some nitrogen based fertilizer or
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| with what I know!For basic garlic growing
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| | compost as you can see in my picture at
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| you need a few things. First of all your
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| | the top right of the page. We fertilized
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| garlic cloves! We started out by growing
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| | with a home made mix of compost,
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| garlic from garlic heads bought at the
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| | bonemeal, canola seed meal, dolomite
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| store, but then I decided to try some new
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| | lime, and potash. We also set up watering
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| and different varieties! Last year I
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| | through soaker hoses so that we watered
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| ended up the with some German Reds left
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| | the plants, not the weeds.Weeding is
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| over after my fall selling on
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| | crucial! Let me repeat...... weeding is
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| virtualseeds.com, so decided to plant
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| | crucial! The next most important chore
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| them with the idea of offering them to my
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| | you need to be vigilant about is weeding!
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| customers in 2001. This way, I could be
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| | Garlics do not want to compete with other
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| assured of the freshest product possible
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| | vegetation! So semi-weekly weeding with a
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| and it allowed me to use the garden space
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| | hoe is necessary. Do not dig down in the
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| normally left fallow all winter to good
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| | ground around the plants or you can tear
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| use. spring So, I planted in October and
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| | up the developing bulbs. Just a light
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| waited for spring.Remember to work in
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| | scratching of the soil is all you need to
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| some good compost and bone meal before
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| | keep the weeds at bay. I use a "hula hoe"
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| planting your cloves. I planted mine
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| | and love it!HARVESTING: By the first of
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| about three inches deep or about three
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| | July, I can see that my crop is getting
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| times the size of the clove. We have
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| | ready to be harvested. How do I know?
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| fairly mild coastal winters so not a lot
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| | First of all, the weather has gotten
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| of hard ground freezing until around
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| | hotter so I know that the bulbs are
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| January and then it is only for a few
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| | forming underground and secondly by
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| weeks at most. More on this subject later
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| | observing the plants. Now the tops are
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| in the tutorial.......Viola!
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| | starting to brown and die back, a sure
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| Come late spring, what to my wondering
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| | sign that harvest time is near. So I stop
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| eyes to appear, but garlic sprouts!Let's
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| | watering about ten days to two weeks
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| back up a little to discuss the two basic
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| | before harvesting. This is necessary so
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| types of garlics for the home gardener.
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| | the plants can start to "hardened" the
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| Generally speaking we are talking about
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| | outside of the bulbs.Mid July is here and
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| hardnecks and softnecks.HARDNECK
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| | it's time to harvest. The plants have now
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| GARLICS(See picture at top of page) are
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| | browned to about 60-75 percent. I gently
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| very popular because they are easy to
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| | pull on the first plant and it comes up
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| grow in most types of soils as long as
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| | easily! Of course, mine are planted more
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| the soil is fertile and well draining.
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| | shallow than most of you will do so the
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| Hardnecks will store for three to six
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| | bulb is nearer the surface. Most
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| months on average so are grown for early
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| | gardeners will need to gently spade
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| winter usage. There are many different
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| | around the plant in order to get the bulb
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| varieties from the German Reds that I
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| | loosened and pulled up.CURING AND
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| offer my customers to Spanish Roja and
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| | STORAGE: Now all that is left is to
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| more. As you can see from the titles,
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| | "cure" the bulbs and store for usage.
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| these garlics most often have some
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| | Curing refers to allowing the bulbs to
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| coloring to them such as streaks of
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| | dry out in a warm but shaded area. Don't
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| purple, red or brown. They are valued for
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| | wash your plants but let the soil dry
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| their high allicin content and great
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| | naturally, then brush off when you are
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| flavor that holds up to cooking.
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| | ready to store or hang. I am drying mine
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| Hardnecks can be a little challenging
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| | on a pallet so that air can circulated
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| when separating the cloves as they have a
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| | around the plants. As you can see by the
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| fair amount of "parchment" or the papery
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| | picture, garlics need to be dried in a
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| skins you have to peel away to get at the
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| | single layer. Drying takes from two to
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| "meat". They tend to have a inner circle
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| | three weeks depending on the weather or
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| of large cloves with few to any smaller
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| | your choice of storage area. Some people
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| cloves on the outside. Hardnecks are
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| | will braided them and hang for curing.
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| planted in the late fall and harvested in
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| | What is important is that the plants have
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| early to mid summer.SOFTNECK GARLICS are
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| | good circulation of warm, dry air so that
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| the ones you see in the grocery store and
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| | mold and mildew doesn't take hold. When
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| in garlic braids. These are normally
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| | your garlics are done curing, then clip
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| white such as the silverskins. The
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| | off the top to about 1.5 inches from the
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| variety you see in the store most likely
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| | bulb and you may snip back the roots.
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| is "Colossal" or another generic variety.
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| | Garlics can be stored in a dark, dry,
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| Stores and their customers want the
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| | cool place such as a basement, storage
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| whitest garlics. Flavor is good and can
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| | room etc and used as needed. Check them
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| be from mild to very strong. The necks
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| | periodically as some varieties do not
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| are more pliable than hardneck varieties
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| | store as long as others. Ideal storage
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| so they make good candidates for
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| | temperatures would be in the 40's to
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| braiding. Softneck garlics advantage is
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| | 50's.
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| that they store longer, up to nine
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| | Don't forget to keep your biggest and
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| months. They generally have numerous
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| | best bulbs for this year's fall planting!
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| cloves in a head. Softnecks also are
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| | Rotate your crops each year. Garlics are
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| planted in the fall with later harvesting
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| | pretty much pest free but can pick up
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| in late summer.Do you have garlic in your
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| | soil diseases which can devastate a
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| refrigerator that has begun to sprout?
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| | crop.Thanks for reading my tutorial on
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| Can they be used in cooking? Not likely
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| | garlic growing. This tutorial is from my
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| as the cloves will feel "empty" as the
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| | own personal experience so soils, growing
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| plants have already used the stores to
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| | conditions and weather may be different
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| start the plants. Can the cloves be
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| | for your location and you may need to
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| separated and planted? Sure, and garlics
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| | amend these guidelines to fit your
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| can be planted in the spring but
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| | situation. A great source for information
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| generally don't do well as an annual
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| | on garlic growing is your local county
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| crop. They are genetically meant to be
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| | extension office. Ask to speak to a
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| planted in fall so they can establish
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| | Master Gardener or stop by and pick up a
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| roots, then they wait for spring to start
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| | helpful brochure on garlic growing. Most
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| growing in earnest.PLANTING: In most
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| | of all, have fun in your garden!ALL
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| parts of the country, you want to plant
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| | NATURAL BUG SRAY:
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| your cloves about six weeks before your
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| | Here is a simple homemade recipe for an
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| winter freezing weather sets in. This is
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| | effective bug spray for your garden!"
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| to allow the cloves to send down roots
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| | Place one peeled onion, two peeled
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| and get established in the soil before
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| | garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon cayenne
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| hard freezing weather sets in. This keeps
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| | pepper, 3 cups of water and blend until
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| the garlics from being forced up and out
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| | smooth. Let the mixture sit overnight,
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| of the soil during hard freezes and
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| | then carefully strain the liquid into a
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| thaws. As you plant your cloves, be sure
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| | spray bottle. I bet this would be
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| to add some good quality compost and a
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| | effective in discouraging Fido or Fluffy
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| tablespoon of bonemeal to the bottom of
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| | from using your favorite rose bush or
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| the hole so the plants will have some
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| | flower bed as a toliet! Refigerate unused
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| excellent nutrition to draw upon. I plant
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| | solution and discard after thirty
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| mine about three times the size of the
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| | days.Happy Gardening!
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| clove or around three inches below the
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