Events:
June 6 Columbia County Beekeepers Monthly meeting. Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Dr. Dewey Caron will give a report about the PNW Honeybee Survey. Linda Zahl will also talk about the blackberry nectar flow. Contact Linda Zahl at ColumbiaCountyOregonBeekeepers@gmail.com for the zoom link or you can attend in person at the OSU Extension Office in St. Helens.
Prime time for garlic
Garlic planted last fall is now in the home stretch. Bulb formation has started and the garlic will be ready for harvest by late June through early to mid-July, depending on the variety and the weather. Most garlic I have seen looks very good. You want to keep garlic well-watered, at least through mid-June to get the biggest bulbs. If you haven’t fertilized much, some nitrogen fertilizer might improve the garlic size and yield if applied and watered in right away.
There are two distinct garlic types. The “soft-neck” varieties do not produce a floral shoot. “Hard-neck” varieties do. Those shoots (known as “scapes”) will soon start to show. To get the largest bulbs, the scapes need to be removed when they are about four inches or more tall. They can be snapped off by hand. The have a mild garlic flavor and you can use the younger scapes in cooking. The older scapes get too hardened and stringy. The odd part of the scape growth is that they don’t produce flowers that make true seeds. The flowers shrivel and tiny bulbs (called bulbils) form at the top. These are genetically identical to the garlic they came from. They can be planted next fall but usually take two years to produce a good garlic. Some people plant the bulbils tightly like green onions to use as “green garlic,” a culinary hit right now in the best restaurants.
In late June or early July, dig a few garlic bulbs to see how they are coming. Cut them to see if they seem largely mature or still have some time to go, and then, of course, eat them. After harvesting the mature garlic, put them (uncut at this stage) in a place that doesn’t get direct sun, especially in the afternoon, but does have good air circulation and can be kept warm and dry. The bulbs can be left to cure in the summer until rainy weather starts. Then they need to be brought in for winter storage. They should be fully dry.
Garden diversity and companion planting
Companion planting rarely shows positive results when put to a rigorous test (in other words, there aren’t friendly vs. unfriendly plant companions). However, research in Europe indicates that mixes sown together confuse insects. They have less success finding their preferred hosts. Insects apparently sense which plant is which through their feet and they need four successful “steps” to alight and lay eggs or eat. When they encounter other plants before they get to four, they leave. One other important lesson from companion planting trials is that plants that shade other plants create winners (that get enough light) and losers (that don’t).
Gardening with children
Children often get to try sprouting seeds in classrooms (bean seeds are popular) but because the school year ends, the plants rarely make it into a garden.
Since there are many life and culinary lessons embedded in vegetable gardening, it is well worth your time to engage a child or grandchild in your garden. That doesn’t mean giving them the pain of the shoveling and heavy lifting (at least not at first). Your education should focus on what plants need to grow, how observation and attention to detail pays off, how good fresh vegetables really are and how timing in gardening (and by extension, life) is everything.
You can start in a somewhat stepwise fashion. As an introduction, just plant a garden area for your children to graze in. This might include cherry tomatoes (be sure to include a Sungold plant), peas, carrots, radishes and green beans. Harvesting potatoes is like a treasure hunt.
The next year, they can help you plant some of the larger seeds in the garden (beans, corn, squash, etc.). I know it is a little corny, but putting up the seed packets on sticks at the end of the row is very educational. Kids can also help you seed pots for later transplant of some of the smaller seeds.
It is very important to use crop failures as a teaching tool. What choices the gardener makes, or doesn’t make, have a big impact on plant growth and production. This is also an important life lesson. It is also important to emphasize the importance of early weeding (along with the ability to distinguish weed vs. crop seeds).
Finally, teach them how these foods are used in the kitchen. Cook with them as you cook for them. Ask for their input on herbs/spices/techniques that might be used as they get more involved.
Many Extension publications available online
Are you putting up salsa, saving seeds, or thinking about planting kiwis? OSU has a large number of its publications available for free download. Just go to https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/. Click on publications and start exploring.
Got food safety or food preservation questions?
Food Preservation recipes and fact sheets can be accessed online at: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/food/preservation.
Important notes
• Donate extra garden produce and/or money to the food bank, senior centers, or community meals programs. It always is greatly appreciated.
• The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people.
• The OSU Extension Office is fully open from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Resource information
Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway
St. Helens, OR 97051
503-397-3462.
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