Garlic and Leeks, Oh My!

  As the fall cool weather and rains arrive, the tea camellia are in bloom - I never tire of seeing their pretty white flowers, and am excited to get the larger plants in the ground and growing on.  In Southern Yunnan province in China, there are wild tea trees  600 to 1800 years old, and 15 meters tall! My last tea camellia, at 15, was about 5×5' 

Camellia sinensis, Sochi 

And - here in the N, is time to plant garlic! My favorite garlic method (zone 8b, so fall planted, hardneck garlic):

Forgotten garlic clump

  • Look for some clumps you missed during harvest (since I plant mine in various beds, I usually miss some!)
  • Ease them out of the earth
  • Gently tease their roots apart
  • Poke holes around the garden, drop in the bulb, add compost or soil, and top with a layer of leaves.

Strawberry planter with garlic starts 

One clump (seperated) went between plants in the cedar strawberry planter, the second into a long planter with more strawberries, and the last into the newest raised bed, which also has spring onions and garlic chives, with lettuce and kale.

I get organic garlic from local growers at our farmers market, so I'm not sure of the variety ... and I use a lot of garlic over the year! I planted cloves from one that sprouted in my daughter's veggie drawer a few weeks ago!

Another favorite garden Allium - Babington topset leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) that I got from Peace Seeds  a decade ago .... they multiply from the sets AND you can simply cut at the base to harvest, and they will grow back - easy peasy! 

I like small leeks, and these are perfect for harvest at any stage ... They were happy under my fig at the Galloway House, and I harvested nearly year round! (If you've read French Women don't get Fat, you'll know how leeks can assist metabolism!)

Leek Sets soaking

When I moved last fall, I brought sets and I think a few plants tagged along, but they haven't gotten established yet, so I soaked these little gems, and tucked then into a pot.

Green onions and kale

I have a good little patch of onions for greens, started by tucking the bases of green onions from the Farmers Market around the garden. 

Welsh onion sets

And then there are chives, garlic chives, and society garlic, plus a favorite from a botanist friend, topset 'Welsh' onions, which also form little bulbils rather than seed. Like the garlic, I teased apart the roots and put them in pots and around the garden. 

Which is your favorite allium?

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