Image
Jan 22, 2015 9:14 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Dog Lover Cottage Gardener
Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Organic Gardener Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
Something, and my best guess is a squirrel, started digging in the loose soil around my garlic just before winter settled in, but it's obvious that whatever it was moved on to other places very quickly. With the exception of one very small depression (tentative paw excavation) in each planted area, everything else remains as I left it. I'm happy to have at least these two areas less to fret over.
Cottage Gardening

Newest Interest: Rock Gardens


Image
Jan 22, 2015 9:53 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I suspect that the squirrels are looking for something OTHER than the garlic when they dig where garlic is planted. I don't think their "sweet-tooth" includes garlic. Whistling
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 22, 2015 9:55 AM CST
Name: Sandy B.
Ford River Twp, Michigan UP (Zone 4b)
(Zone 4b-maybe 5a)
Charter ATP Member Bee Lover Butterflies Birds I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Greenhouse Region: United States of America Region: Michigan Enjoys or suffers cold winters
I should amend my post to say nothing ever bothers my garlic except my crazy cat -- but I'm sure he thought he was helping me when I was planting... and he gets into anything and everything, so not like he specializes in attacking the garlic Rolling my eyes.
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~ Albert Schweitzer
C/F temp conversion
Image
Jan 22, 2015 10:18 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Rolling on the floor laughing Hilarious! Sticking tongue out Cats sure are inquisitive creatures. We are a cat family and she is like a family member.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 7:52 AM CST
Name: wayne
memphis (Zone 7b)
Keeper of Poultry Region: Tennessee
Apologies for taking so long to reply.

I have a bad habit of speaking in shorthand and I certainly did here. I like to blame all the digging in my beds on the squirrels but of course it could be any number of little animals coming to dig around my plants. I should have more carefully managed my squirrel hatred, and focused more on explaining myself. Squirrel rage will just eat you up, let me tell you.

all that to say, I netted my garlic bed to protect from whatever enjoys burrowing around in my beds, primarily squirrels.

thanks @drdawg for the pictures of your beds btw. this is my first time overwintering garlic, and now I'm thinking I should have just held off until spring. darn this living and learning stuff... Smiling
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:04 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Wayne, if I understand you correctly, you think that I plant my garlic in the spring. That is not correct. I plant my garlic anywhere from mid-October to mid-November and dig it up from mid-May (hardneck) till early June (softneck/Creole). Perhaps in the northern climates, garlic can be a summer crop, but I don't think it would do well over the coarse of our hot/humid summer months. Believe me, I am no expert here. I just seem to have success in growing garlic.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:25 AM CST
Name: Larry
Enterprise, Al. 36330 (Zone 8b)
Composter Daylilies Garden Photography Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Region: Alabama
Do you have to plant garlic every year? My father grew garlic while he was alive, don't have any idea what kind it was. There was a small daylily bed under the pecan tree surrounded by liriope and every year (even though I pulled up a wheelbarrow load the year before) the garlic returned, seemed even more than ever. So I pulled again,(often with the bulbs breaking off in the ground) and for at least ten years this continued, till we sold that house last year.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:39 AM CST
Name: wayne
memphis (Zone 7b)
Keeper of Poultry Region: Tennessee
ah okay...my mistake, I misread a comment you made earlier in the thread and assumed you were planting in early spring. I planted mine on Columbus Day I believe and am hoping for an early June harvest. ha, I was really about to kick myself for a minute there!
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:40 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
That would have been hardneck garlic. It has a seed-head and your dad allowed those seed-heads to self-seed when the garlic matured. The softneck and Creole have no seed-head. He would have had to replant those cloves each and every year. It would have taken those small, self-seeded garlic bulbuls two years to grow to full-size bulbs though.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:41 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
You are doing it the right way, Wayne. Thumbs up
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:48 AM CST
Name: Larry
Enterprise, Al. 36330 (Zone 8b)
Composter Daylilies Garden Photography Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Region: Alabama
Thanks, Ken. Glad to know they were hardneck garlic. I guess each year I did not pull the small ones they because large ones, some I missed set seed (they did develop large seed pods) so there was a continual supply.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 8:49 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
The so-called "garlic chives" will also flower and then self-seed, Larry. But they never form bulbs, just new chive plants.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Jan 25, 2015 10:58 PM CST
Name: Sandy B.
Ford River Twp, Michigan UP (Zone 4b)
(Zone 4b-maybe 5a)
Charter ATP Member Bee Lover Butterflies Birds I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Greenhouse Region: United States of America Region: Michigan Enjoys or suffers cold winters
A couple of things here...

Wayne, yes, plant in the fall... even here in the Michigan Upper Peninsula that works the best, garlic is quite amazingly hardy.

But wait -- Larry (Seedfork) asked about the garlic returning... and yes, if not harvested it will sprout the next year, up here at least. Not necessarily in the form of nice bulbs, though... I'm not actually sure what you would get, it seems to me like it would just kind of be a mess although i've heard of people doing this.
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~ Albert Schweitzer
C/F temp conversion
Image
Jan 28, 2015 10:10 PM CST
Name: Elfrieda
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida (Zone 10a)
Annuals Foliage Fan Herbs Hibiscus Master Gardener: Florida Roses
Salvias Sedums Sempervivums Enjoys or suffers hot summers Ferns Dragonflies
I love your veggie boxes Ken; Wish I had more room. Meanwhile, my hanging baskets get the squirrels digging in them - guess they're trying to bury peanuts (which a neighbor or two have been known to put out for them). If I could train them (the neighbor) to crack the shells first, the squirrel wouldn't try to bury it). I've found it helps by sprinkling a little red cayenne pepper on the soil surface of my planters. The squirrels don't like it.
“I was just sittin’ here enjoyin’ the company. Plants got a lot to say, if you take the time to listen”
Eeyore
Image
Jan 29, 2015 8:22 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I have heard that sprinkling red/hot pepper will deter them. I have use pepper-laced suet blocks in the past, and the squirrels won't touch them.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Image
Feb 2, 2015 10:02 PM CST
Name: Elfrieda
Indian Harbour Beach, Florida (Zone 10a)
Annuals Foliage Fan Herbs Hibiscus Master Gardener: Florida Roses
Salvias Sedums Sempervivums Enjoys or suffers hot summers Ferns Dragonflies
Yes, I only use hot pepper now. A few years ago I would use a small BBgun to scare the squirrels. Then, one day I lowered my hand to my side and the gun went off and the bb hit the side of my leg, entered and travelled down a few inches. Talk about shock. I couldn't believe what I'd done - then I saw all the blood and screamed for my husband. Off to the ER; but they couldn't get it out with what looked like a 12 inch tweezer/probe (gosh, that hurt). So I came home with it still in my leg. Six months later I scheduled an operation to remove it (not good when traveling, you know). It was like a show; assistants and a couple of doctors were coming into the room to see the woman who shot herself in the leg ! Rolling on the floor laughing It was a while before I could live that one down. *Blush*
“I was just sittin’ here enjoyin’ the company. Plants got a lot to say, if you take the time to listen”
Eeyore
Image
Feb 2, 2015 10:05 PM CST
Name: Arlene
Southold, Long Island, NY (Zone 7a)
Region: Ukraine Dahlias I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Houseplants Tomato Heads Garden Ideas: Level 1
Plant Identifier Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Now we all know why you only use the hot pepper!
Image
Feb 2, 2015 10:37 PM CST
Name: Sandy B.
Ford River Twp, Michigan UP (Zone 4b)
(Zone 4b-maybe 5a)
Charter ATP Member Bee Lover Butterflies Birds I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Greenhouse Region: United States of America Region: Michigan Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Elfie, Rolling on the floor laughing Rolling on the floor laughing Rolling on the floor laughing

and the reason I'm laughing... not because of what happened to you, but because it reminded me of the time I opened our front door and managed to rip my big toenail halfway back, such that it was not only half pulled off the nailbed but bent up at a right angle and no getting it back down without major pain Blinking Yep, trip to the ER, couldn't put a shoe on that foot and we still had snow on the ground at the time, so that was quite interesting... then there I was, just lying on that table in the hallway, and everyone that went by was going "ewwww... HOW did you do that??" Hilarious! Only topped by the doctor, who, after getting a good look at the situation, asked his assistant for some scissors or whatever to cut the thing off, only to say something to the effect of "get the bigger ones, this is a carpenter type of job." Sticking tongue out I assume it's needless to say that I am pretty careful about where my feet are now when I open doors...
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~ Albert Schweitzer
C/F temp conversion
Image
Feb 3, 2015 6:47 AM CST
Name: wayne
memphis (Zone 7b)
Keeper of Poultry Region: Tennessee
I walked around for ten years with a BB right under the skin on top of my shoulder. I didn't ever tell my mom I got shot, I decided I had rather stand in front of a BB gun firing squad than let her warm my butt up for being dumb.

I'm 37 now and I'm not certain I'm in the clear yet...she'd break me down like a fraction if she found out.
Image
Feb 3, 2015 7:24 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Whistling Rolling on the floor laughing Sticking tongue out

All of you are just so funny! Thumbs up
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.

You must first create a username and login before you can reply to this thread.
  • Started by: chelle
  • Replies: 121, views: 5,530
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.