Several years ago I planted a few bulbs of elephant garlic in the herb bed. I harvested that year and left a few smaller pieces back. Each year I have meant to harvest but the time has always gotten away from me. This year I decided early on that they needed to be thinned out. I cut off the flower stalks that tried to form and left them to their own devices. The tops died back signalling they were ready for harvest. I expected a few small bulbs but was pleasantly surprised as I started to dig. I put back the small corms that develop below the large bulbs. There is one just to the left of the large bulb in the middle of the photo. These will sprout later this summer, die back over the winter and return next spring.
Harvest
Gooseberries, cherry tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries and a zucchini. A good haul. The spring crop of the raspberries is about over while the fall crop is being pollinated. The blackberries are just starting to ripen. The birds have found them as they do every year. Tonight I will have to prune back the new growth and net them if we are going to get much in the way of a harvest. The drought last year has really cut back the number of producing blackberry canes this year as was expected. Since the blackberry fruit grows on the second year’s growth, how the new canes grow this year will give an idea of a possible harvest next year. Barring a below normal temperature winter, next year should bring a great blackberry harvest. While watering this morning I noticed that the everbearing strawberries in the barrel on the back porch are in bloom again.