Woohoo! It’s time for the 5th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop which means spring has sprung and you reap the rewards–with giveaways galore!
Yes, this is one of my favorite times of year. Leave are a spectacular green, Crepe Myrtles sprout anew, grass grows lush and full and of course, my organic garden goes into full gear. Tomatoes and peppers are in, sweet onions are coming out, blueberries are blooming and I’m grinning. It’s utterly joyous!
You’re with me, aren’t you? You’ve donned your gloves, pulled out your hat and digging through the dirt–the glorious, compost-amended rich soil that your plants adore. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean. There’s nothing better than running your gloved fingers through the stuff as you drop those seeds or pull those onions. And garlic. My garlic will soon follow my sweet onions and I can’t wait. This year’s harvest looks divine. Wouldn’t you agree?
I’m so happy with the little darlings, I’m going to share a tip with you on how to grow garlic without fail in one word. Phosphorous. Using an organic fertilizer high in phosphorous and low in nitrogen (bone meal) you will give the plant the power to develop a healthy root system without wasting energy growing a beautiful green leafy top. Remember, the glory of growth is going on underground.
Second, plant in early fall. Not late fall, not early spring, but early fall. This gives your garlic the time it needs to grow and mature into that earthy delicacy you so adore. Don’t worry about winter snowfall. Again, garlic does all the hard work below the surface. You can cover their sprouted tops if you like, just make sure to remove the cover when the snow clears. They do love a good dose of sunshine!
When planting garlic, do so in well-drained soil. Garlic belongs to the root family and soggy roots do NOT bode well for healthy bulbs of garlic. You’ll get soggy bulbs, mini-bulbs, icky bulbs. YUCK. For full details, check the How-To section on my website.
Now for my giveaway… A beautiful bronze Boehm limited edition “Peace” rose, Grow Giggles, Harvest Love dish towels and natural soaps. Soaps are gentle and perfect for cleansing those hands after a trip to the garden.
Excellent advice on growing garlic. Thanks for the tip. I’m really fragrance sensitive, but natural soaps that aren’t too floral seem to be ok, especially if they are laced with more herbal scents like rosemary, basil, lavender, or thyme:-)
I just started a garden this year but didn’t plant garlic. Thanks for the tips. I’ll have to try it next year!
It’s easy and really no effort at all. Garlic are pretty independent plants!! 🙂
Lavender or Lemon 🙂
I like soaps that smell minty or lemony.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
I love the scent of lavender soap.
My favorite soap scent is anything floral. I particularly like peony though 🙂
I love lavender scented soap.
Cherry blossom.
acm05atjuno.com
I love cucumber melon scented soap.
OH I just tried this new scent it is called Dragons Blood I know the name sounds weird, but it smells so amazing!!!
I love gentle scents. Anything too strong is too much 🙂 Thank you!
kissedbymidnight AT gmail.com
I usually use olive oil soap, but it doesn’t really have a scent. I guess lavender is my favorite
Lavender and Lemongrass are the two best scents on the planet. mmmmm
Lavender/ lilac
I love herbal or floral scented soaps!
sienkiel1821 at yahoo dot com
rose
I love the scent of lilacs. cchant86 @ yahoo.com
I like any type of fresh scent like cucumber or melon.
I like lemon or lime soap
videoclimber at yahoo dot com
I love citrusy soaps.
I love lavender scented soap!
Lavender is my favorite
jean60212@gmail.com lavender
My current favorite is Citron Ginger by Caldrea.
I wish I had better luck with blueberries. Our soil is just too alkaline. Maybe I’ll try containers.
My favorite scent is lilac.
I love a light floral scent in soap.
(mybeach52 at yahoo dot com)
I love lavender scented soap!
jeanna_massman at hotmail dot com
For bar soap, I really like oatmeal – it smells like a cookie. Mrs. Meyers has a very interesting smelling liquid hand soap in rhubarb that I really like too.
blueberrycrisp@gmail dot com
Thanks for the tips on raising garlic. (Which I use to protect my other plants.)
rsbrandt44 (at) hotmail (dot) com
My favorite bar soap scent is Irish Spring. Aye, but I like it too.
rsbrandt44 (at) hotmail (dot) com
My favorite soap scent is Lavender.
Thank you for the nice giveaway!
Happy Spring!
sprocket 215 at gmail dot com
Hmm…sounds like I will have to move the garlic! I had some cloves sprouting, so I threw them into the garden, lol. I love lemon or lavender soap. Thanks for the wonderful tips!
elewkf1 at yahoo dot com
I like peppermint soap! lshumack at gmail dot com
I really enjoy the scent of lavender soap the most.
I like oatmeal or vanilla.
I love lavender soap. Smells so good. amybowens34(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love miled soaps…like vanilla or cucumber-melon.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com