Planting Garlic Gratefully!

The 2018 crop of garlic is planted! Yay!!! The first of next summer's crops is in the ground where it will wait for spring.

Planting garlic is a whole-day and whole-family affair for us. Since our Thanksgiving celebration wasn't until Saturday, we picked the Thursday holiday to plant. It was an unseasonably warm and sunny day - perfect for an outside project.

I put a roast in the slow cooker as the guys finished the daily chores. Then we "cracked" open the pre-selected garlic bulbs, releasing the cloves for planting.

By late morning we were out in the field where Bill's previously prepared hundred-foot beds seemed to eagerly await their treasure. Liam moved along dibbling 3 holes at a time while Aidan, Marlee, and I followed to fill each hole with a garlic clove.

Once we had a bed finished, Bill covered it with a layer of mulch. We've used straw mulch in the past, but since we have lots of wood shavings this year and no straw, we are using the shavings to protect the garlic through winter months.

While we worked diligently to finish before dark, the nice weather prompted several breaks. The kids would look at each other and suddenly take off running and whooping as Bill or I admonished them to hurry back. Filled with the energy of youth, they chased each other until all, including our dogs Pixie and Dash, laughingly collapsed in a tangled pile of arms and legs on the fresh dirt.

Bill and I couldn't help but get caught up in their enthusiasm. We sat back and smiled indulgently as we watched them revel in the moment.

Planting garlic isn't physically hard, and the beautiful day made it an almost festive event - a perfect way for us to express our gratitude for the farming life we've chosen.