garlic mulch II

the garlic i planted in my back yard came up just like the garlic parker and i planted in the community garden...it would have needed mulching no matter whether it did or not and since...as i have stated more than once recently...the temperatures are due to take a turn for the bloody cold( bombogenesis on the way )by mid week this seemed to be an opportune moment to do something about it...my yard is a bit more informal garden-wise than the university campus so i did not expend the fabric and landscaping pin resources out back that i did on campus...i spread some straw ( the same six inches or so ) over the bed and then used old sticks, some hinged wire tomato cages, and the odd rock laying about the back to hold it all down...it is my yard after all...and as the straw rots in the spring it will release nitrogen and keep the weeds down...garlic hates competition.

quick garden trip

a quick trip to the garden revealed the first true leaves have appeared on almost all the alfalfa ( top photo ) which means we are well on the way to having it established to the point it will winter over and still be setting nitrogen come spring...the alfalfa plants are mixed in beds with new zealand white clover and winter rye ( second photo ) which will be acting in concert to set and store nitrogen for next year's crops...the stand of jerusalem artichokes in the third photo are just about ready to harvest ( although they can be left in the ground indefinitely and dug when needed or desired..at least until the ground freezes...we've been through that in earlier posts ) and, in another natural juxtaposition the ones in the corner box by washington street are still blooming ( fourth photo )...and while we're talking helianthus family, the bottom photo is of parker harvesting some sunflower seeds from the same box the sunchokes are blooming in...the season has still got surprises up its sleeve...there are doubtlessly more to come...stay tuned.