It's been over a year since we planted our first field of garlic, and our second field is currently sleeping under the straw waiting for spring to arrive. I'm anxiously waiting for the warmer weather so I can see little green leaves pop out of the ground letting me know that it survived the difficulties of the winter.
The first year we planted our field was our first glimpse at the reality that it wasn't really going to be as easy as we expected. We thought were prepared. We thought wrong. Life doesn't always line up as easily as we hope. That last weekend in October my husband was in a car accident. The only field he'd be in that week was the one his car landed in during the crash. As much as he claimed to be only slightly sore and bruised up, there was no way he'd be planting a field of garlic that week.
It turned out to be a wet fall, so when we did start planting later in November the ground was just too wet to use machines to help with planting, so it was all hands on deck. Each and everyone of our bulbs had to have a hole pushed in and then the garlic carefully placed upright in each hole. It was a mushy wet mess of mud. We left the last two rows unplanted as it was just to wet to even make a hole.
Thankfully planting our second year went much smoother. We managed to plant it quickly and efficiently with better knowledge and a drier season. Hopefully, it will grow big and strong for another great harvest in 2023.