What size area needed for vege garden? As long as a piece of string?

[Netix]

Darn. I had a reply typed out before and lost it. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Let's try again....

Dansta; I'm anticipating doing co planting. It just seems so logical to do that. And I would definitely have to plan what would go where, right down to having a drawn plan of rotations . I will look for that book you have mentioned.

I would really like to be able to grow garlic. I have only found imported garlic in the shops, and it s**** me to tears tha tyou can't buy Australian garlic. I mean, wtf? Sidetracked.... Be happy if I have to wait. Hopefully I won't have to try and grow it from seed!

As for snails, a couple would be okay, as its all our lizard eats. Fussy bugger, considering there aren't many snails around here, and I feel a bit awkward asking "dear neighbour, pardon me, but do you have any garden snails that I could possibly trouble you for? Many thanks" lol.

Cass; that is a help if there are quantities on seed packets.

Oh yeah. That's what I was going to say. Nitrogen. Not potassium. What planet was I on? Sheesh!

[Netix]

I'm making another post so that I don't lose it all again.

BG; I have so much reading to do to learn what crops I should plant for recovery, etc, and just the whole roatation thing. Not to mention when to plant. Omg. Hope your DH is going good.

TFB; Your garden efforts sound great! Mmm, strawberries... Must try to plant thoae too! Store boufht strawberries have got nothing on home grown!

[Trillian]

Netix, you can buy Australian garlic, but it only has a small season and the Australian market for fresh garlic is still pretty small and a lot of it actually ends up as minced garlic etc. I refuse to buy fresh garlic for that reason and only buy it when it's Australian grown so we don't have it very often. My FIL has been very successful with growing it though in the past so we would get it from him when he had it.

[briggsy's girl]

Netix, you can buy Australian garlic, but it only has a small season and the Australian market for fresh garlic is still pretty small and a lot of it actually ends up as minced garlic etc. I refuse to buy fresh garlic for that reason and only buy it when it's Australian grown so we don't have it very often. My FIL has been very successful with growing it though in the past so we would get it from him when he had it.

we were lucky to be at farmers markets with another BB'er when we found locally grown Australian garlic - we bought a kilo (as you do!) - the type that is weaved together to hang up. we were told it would last months (which it did!) and "when it starts to sprout, put it in the garden, you'll get your own growing" - which is exactly what we've done. So our garlic is all Australian. we have about 60 in at the moment - under fruit trees, under roses, scattered in the vegie patches. i like that it keeps aphids at bay (haven't seen any in a loooong time), and it's always there for us to eat fresh if we need it. a friend was saying about bad aphids at his place a couple of weeks ago, so we ripped some out of our garden for his, and he is seeing an improvement already. he eats heaps of garlic and had never through to grow it himself, so hopefully it will help.

if you see Aussie garlic, grab some, even just a single knuckle, and let it shoot (may take a couple of months) - you can grow from that.

[Netix]

Trillian; I haven't seen Australian garlic for sale in shops for about two or three years! And I do look for it.

BG; I will keep an eye out at the local markets here. Hopefully living in "the food bowl" you would think there is some ussie garlic about!

On a side note, how do you know when it is ready to pick? Thanks.

[briggsy's girl]

we just dig around it a bit when it starts to die off, check the size of the garlic, pull it out, check it out, replant it lol - there is supposedly a science (it should be planted for exactly this long) but pfffffffffffft we go by gut!

[Trillian]

yeah, when we grew it, the growing guide said to wait for the plant to flower and then die off, but it still wasn't right after doing that.

BG, I'm going to have to go to a farmers market, but they have them on so rarely around here so it's hard. But when I see aussie garlic i do buy up big LOL

[briggsy's girl]

We have farmers market here once a month. Would be awesome if it fortnightly. There is no one that sells garlic at ours though. Cheap spuds though. I don't even mind seconds when they are fresh and cheap! We are lucky in that we are close enough to goo spud growing country that they being the spuds and onions to the market and sell cheap. Not sure if they'd still be cheaper at other markets. The garlic was an impulse buy but was worth it I think