Garlic Growing Guide

Before we head out to the garden to see how we plant our garlic, here are the Keys To Growing Garlic:

Keep Them Cool
Garlic does best in cool conditions. This is why they are planted in the autumn and grown through winter and into spring.

In warm climates like the lower elevations of Southern California, “pre-chilling” the bulbs for a week or two might be beneficial. In our climate, we may not get enough chilling to signal to the garlic plant to complete its life cycle. Which in its hardneck lifecycle include making scapes and bulbing or heading.

To “pre-chill” or stratify the seed garlic, I place them in a refrigerator running between 38 to 40F. After a couple of weeks, the bulbs sit on the kitchen counter for about a week until planting. Furthermore, in warm climates with limited chill hours, we want to plant the garlic shallow.

Conversely in cold climates where there are freezes, garlic has to be planted before the freeze and planted deeper to insult them from the frigid temperatures. 

Environmentals
In addition to cool temperatures, garlic needs full sun. Choose a location in your garden or on your property with at least 7 hours of direct sun. In urban areas, consider the sun angle and how it changes from autumn through spring. In warm climates, a good micro climate in the autumn may become too warm in the later part of spring. Conversely, as spring approaches the growing location may lose the direct sun from tall trees that have grown back their foliage. Be sure to pay attention to these often overlooked variables.

Give the individual plants sufficient space but not too much. Provide enough space so that they are not competing with one another and close enough so that they can shield one another from excess cold/heat/ and other stressors. The garlic bed itself needs enough space so that nearby plants are not competing for nutrients and sunlight.

Lastly, garlic does not like wet roots. Getting the watering correct is probably what makes and breaks plantings and harvests. Garlic does best with a moderate amount of water. 

Before I continue and go over the remaining keys to growing garlic,
I want to remind you that this is an overview.
My goal is to fill in the details as I go along.
Make a mental note of any questions you may have
and see if they get answered.

Soil
Your ideal soil recipe needs to be well draining, high in nutrients, holds nutrients well, and releases nutrients over an 8 month period. The more of the soil is right from the start, the less there is to do in the way of adjustments later on. Keep an eye on annual rain forecasts. For example, at present we have a very wet winter forecast. That means that we will change our soil recipe and make the soil drain better or build up the soil to be more elevated for better drainage. Conversely, in a dry year, we want to make our soil hold onto water more.

Planting
In cold climates garlic is planted before the ground freezes and this is usually by October. We follow suit in warm climates.

Plant with the largest cloves.

In warm climates, cover them with two inches of soil. In cold climates, cover with 4 inches of soil and straw to insult the cloves and sprouts from frost. Water well.

Lastly and importantly, PROTECT THE GARLIC BED FROM CRITTERS! Garlic roots are very sensitive and when a critter digs out the garlic plant at any stage, that garlic plant is done for! For growers in areas where animals chew at roots, bulbs, and tops, do consider additional security measures.

Plant Care (Very Subjective)
You have the soil set up, the garlic planted and protected. It has sprouted and you’re excited to see the green tips in your garlic bed. From this point until harvest you have 8 months to monitor and make adjustments to keep the garlic plants happy. 

The watering process is very subjective. How much water is “a moderate amount?” It all depends on your analysis of the environmentals. How much rain was there, how warm/cold has it been, when was the last time you watered, how much did you water, how draining is your soil? In my experience with my soil recipe and climate, monthly watering is ideal. Excess water leads to root rot and rust. 

Furthermore, water delivers nutrients from the surface to the root zone. Watering is an opportunity to deliver nutrients to the root zone. However, excess water can leach the nutrients. In a wet climate where well draining soil is necessary, consider liquid feeding your plants once a week. For all growers, a monthly liquid feeding is an insurance policy against nutrient depleted soil.

Top dress with compost (prior to watering) in January and February as it is, again, is a good way to feed the garlic plants. In my warm climate, top dressing helps keep the garlic base cool when seasonal temperatures creep up.


This concludes the overview/keys to growing garlic. Let’s plant some garlic together to see these keys in action.

Coastal Plain
I live and grow in Southern California. More specifically on the Los Angeles Coastal Plain near Downtown LA. I combine the homestead mentality with regenerative practices to grow with as little off site input as possible. Water is one such input. Today I am planting our year’s crop of garlic hours ahead of a rain storm.

But first I’ll need to harvest another type of input, compost. This black gold lies underneath our kinetic composting path. Section by section I peel back the path, harvest the compost, lay additional chunkier brown-waste at the bottom for a “wood chipping” effect. I then cover with softer green-waste to fill in the gaps to make the path easier to walk on. When done, I will have compost to amend our clay soil.

In an arid climate, clay does wonders to hold water and thus nutrients. However, if it stays excessively wet, clay will suffocate everything inside it. Overtime clay can become compacted. 


In anticipation of a wetter year I have mixed my clay centric soil down with soil amendment; about 50/50. This amendment is essentially aged saw mill / lumber waste. It’ll lighten the clay while also providing a source of slow release of nutrients.

To this soil mix I am adding about 1/8th as much compost. This compost contains material broken down through the bacteria decomposition process as well as the digestive process of bugs and grubs. It adds available nutrients, microbes, and aerating qualities to the soil. The addition of this type of compost gives our soil loam qualities. Loam is often regarded as the best kind of soil for most crops.

The first garlic variety to plant is ‘Chesnok Red.’ With the forecast of a wet winter once again on my mind, I am hedging my planting by planting some in containers. If it gets super duper wet, I hope that containers will drain well via gravity. When it comes time to plant, it is my belief that the ideal spacing is the roughly width of the head of garlic. Here I illustrate the plant spacing with the head of garlic. I am also giving the plants a little more space because they are in a container.

So far we have our “wet year” soil mix in our container and a general spacing worked out. We are now ready to separate the cloves to plant. Select the large cloves for planting. In handling the cloves, pay attention to any cloves that feel soft. Inspect any soft cloves for rot or dehydrated dead cloves. Set aside the small cloves for planting as green garlic or to use in the kitchen.

Chesnok Red has a special place in my gardening history. I have worked with ‘Chesnok Red’ in Southern California for over 15 years. It was a curiosity of mine to find out if it is possible to grow hardnecks in my warm climate. As it turned out, this hardneck variety can produce a harvest where winters are mild. That is with a little finesse like pre-chilling the bulbs for a couple of weeks and making sure everything is right for them. Other gardeners have since discovered that it is possible to grow this hardneck pretty much anywhere. For this reason ‘Chesnok Red’ has become a popular variety and you’ve probably heard of it.

In addition to pre-chilling or stratifying the garlic, we need to plant them shallow. Lightly covering the cloves will better give them exposure to however much cold our climate can provide. First I go in with some compost, then some Espoma Hollytone amendment, and for good measure and optional– crab meal. Finally I mulch with the Kellogg Garden Garden Soil and put a tag. All in all, this is about two inches covering our cloves. With a good amount of rain on the way, I’ll wait for the rain to water everything in. From this head of garlic, I have one additional plantable clove and three smaller cloves for growing as green garlic.

Let’s plant some more garlic together. Next we will be planting ‘Thai Fire.’ When you have multiple heads of garlic to work with, separate the cloves up front and sort out the plantable cloves. This is 1/2 a pound of garlic in this bag. ‘Thai Fire’ is another hardneck variety. I found that ‘Thai Fire’ is quite tolerant of mild climates like ours. The harvest is usually very reliable. Unless you happen to change up where you plant and put them near a plant that you did not know has very aggressive roots. That is how I lost my Filaree Farm strain of ‘Thai Fire.’ Filaree Farm did not have them up for sale this year. There are not many vendors that carry this variety. Luckily I was able to find this variety and I am working with a strain sold by Burpee Garden. I have 10 planted per container and two containers worth. 

Next up another hardneck– Spanish Roja. We have 3 bulbs to plant. Same process. Separate the cloves and space according to the bulb size. You may have noticed that there is quite a bit of difference between the brim of these containers and the soil level. I have the soil level deep enough for the long garlic roots. The leftover space is so that I can backfill the container later on with compost. Again this shallow planting is to expose our seed garlic to as much cold as we can get from our mild winter climate. But as the temperature warms up in the spring, I will want the backfill to help protect the garlic base from the warmth.

Now let’s do some in-the-ground garlic planting. We have a sunny spot in the front of the house and it is elevated for better drainage. We’ll bring out some compost and amendment. As we dig in this spot, I will be highlighting regenerative principles. First, pay attention to the soil structure when it is almost dried– it is lumpy, it is clumpy, and it is holey. Second, pay attention to how deep my shovel goes. It goes no more than 4 inches into the soil.

When working an existing bed for planting, I only want to work to the depth where the bulk of the roots will grow. Furthermore, we want to preserve as many of the earthworm made tunnels as possible. When dug up, these tunnels appear as holes in the clumps of soil. These tunnels allow for better flow of water, nutrients, and air deeper into the soil column. We therefore do not want to disturb more than we need to. This is the gist of “no till gardening.” Side note: You may have noticed that there are dry areas in this space. That is because I let spots go fallow to save on irrigation. In these instances, if I had some light mulch handy, a 4-6 inch thick mulching would have better preserved the surface moisture of the soil. The best I had was a couple of balsam (flower) plants finishing their life cycle as living mulch.

After breaking the soil with the shovel, I will go in with hands to break up the clumps then work in some Kellogg Garden soil amendment and our compost. Before planting we dust in some Espoma Hollytone and crab meal. Here we are planting ‘Romanian Red.’ This is a big garlic variety and we’ll space them accordingly. Next, we plant our remaining good-sized ‘Chesnok Red.’ We are also planting 3 small cloves. They are small but maybe just big enough to eke out half-sized bulbs? If not, we’ll harvest them as green garlic.

Same process as with the containers, I top dress with compost and garden soil amendment; covering the garlic cloves with about two inches. Off camera I planted the rest of the ‘Thai Fire’ in this section. In this section of the garden, the soil was left fallow. In this adjacent section there is adequate moisture, the soil is nice and soft. That is because this adjacent section had plants actively growing and was irrigated. Off camera I planted the rest of the ‘Spanish Roja.’

Aside from watering, the final step is to physically protect our planted garlic. Garlic puts out deep roots and they need every bit of it to suck up the nutrients needed to form a bulb. It’s over for the harvest the moment the deep roots are severed. As innocent as it may be, critters digging up a bed to look for worms and grubs will oftentimes dig out the garlic in the process.  This low fencing helps our chances.

If you have been wondering when I will get to the “green garlic” you heard about earlier, now is the time. We’ve finished planting our garlic. With the leftover small cloves we can think about planting these as well for green garlic. The cloves that are too small to plant for a worthwhile garlic head harvest are perfect to plant for green garlic. These cloves can be planted densely (as close as an inch apart.)

Green garlic is a kitchen ingredient. One common use by the Teochew is the flavoring of glutinous rice with chopped green garlic. The entire plant is harvested when they reach about 8 to 12 inches. They are great as long as the stalks are tender. If they get too far along, they can be slow cooked like leeks to break down the fibers. They have a bright but strong garlic flavor so a little goes a long way.

Alright! This is my garlic planting and growing guide in action. All the garlic have been planted, some have been protected, and now we wait for the impending rain to water the cloves in. Be sure to check back to see how our garlic crop is doing. Thank you for watching. I wish you lots of success with your plantings.

Never Enough Dirt Seed Buying Guide 

This content is copyright & intellectual property of Never Enough Dirt. Not for artificial intelligence / machine learning use. Content may not be reproduced nor disseminated without permission and visible citation.
Current seed library/collection
Current seed library/collection

This is a seed buying guide for the value conscious. First of all, value is very nuanced. In order to get the most from this guide, it is important to read all the way through to find cases of exceptions. In order to assess the value of the packet of seed, we will first need to know the variables that affect the value. They are: quality, uniformity, quantity, price per packet, cost of procurement (shipping,) rarity, amount of effort to seed save, and other individual preferences.

The first variable is Quality. Quality is first determined by the freshness of the seed. On paper, seeds can remain viable for a long time. However, I found that planting with recently saved seeds yielded far better results. If you are growing from seed, you are going want something that starts strong right out of the gate. Generally, I like to work with quality seeds within 3 years from the time that they were first collected or bought.

Small amount of seeds in container
Saving only a small amount of tomato seeds

This quality factor helped me realize that a large seed collection is not practical. My seed collection has been reduced to the number of types and amount of seeds that I can plant or rotate into planting within 3 years. In other words, one of the keys to a successful garden is to grow with quality seeds. Unless seeds are planted and replenished, a large seed collection will contain less desirable older seeds. More likely a large collection will contain seeds that have very low germination rates. As a general rule, plan to use seeds within 3 years. Note that allium seeds (onion, shallot, scallion, chive, garlic chives) are generally viable within the year collected or purchased.

Therefore, the seed packet with the greatest value for me is the packet that prices quality seeds with the amount that I can use up within the year. Another way of saying this, if my garden has room for two squash plants, I would rather have 5-7 quality seeds than to pay 30% more for a packet with double or triple that amount.

A quality seed does not automatically ensure success. In the right hands, any viable seed can lead to success. Where an ordinary seed differs from a quality seed is the difference in the effort needed to achieve said success.

Uniformity. With certain kinds of plants, seed uniformity is an important quality characteristic. Not all plants produce uniform seeds. With the way seeds are cleaned, some types have more runty seeds mixed in. Later on, I will get into cases where uniform seeds are important. For now, it is important to recognize that uniformity can be an important characteristic of quality.

Quantity is an often overlooked aspect. Here are the following combinations to select from:

  • High Quality, High Quantity [Johnny’s Selected Seeds]
  • High Quality, Low Quantity ]Botanical Interests, Pinetree Garden Seeds]
  • Reasonable Quality, High Quantity [Baker Creek Rare Seeds]
  • Good Quality, Higher Quantity [Burpee Seeds, Ferry-Morse Seed Co.]

Novice seed starters may be better off selecting quantity over quality. The strategy at this level is to sow 3-4 seeds per cell or container and thin out the weaker sprouts. Additionally, novices tend to sow extra plants as backup. This sowing method uses more seeds.

Experienced seed starters will eventually discover that a seed packet will often have enough or more than enough seeds to get them through the growing year.

What then determines the value of a seed packet? Because value is so nuanced, it is best to dive right in and share with you my thought process when I am in need of seeds.

Brick & Mortar

First of all, I am a big fan of the brick and mortar method of seed shopping. Across the United States you can find Burpee Seeds, Ferry-Morse Seed Company, and maybe Botanical Interests seed catalogs at a store. While these companies have an online catalog, the advantage of a physical catalog is saving on shipping costs. Furthermore, you are able to handle the seed packets to have a physical sense of what you will be working with in terms of quantity and type of seed. There will be a plant type new to you and discerning the physical characteristics of its seed will let you know if you have the means to sprout it. Honestly, the rattling from the seeds inside a packet is pure joy for our sensory.

In Southern California I will find Burpee and Ferry-Morse at Home Depot and Lowe’s. For the longest time these two major retailers carried the complete catalog of these two seed brands. Things have changed a lot and it pains me to have to point the following out. It appears that retailing contracts have changed with changes to local demand. The depth of the seed catalogs can vary by location. Lowe’s consistently carries the entire Ferry-Morse Catalog and they will display the seeds indoors (where the temperature and humidity are more constant.) Home Depot, on the other hand, may locate their seed catalogs outdoors. At one location I witness the seed packets get wet from the rain and remain on the shelves for the rest of the season. It is therefore important to know your brick and mortar.

Burpee versus Ferry-Morse

Burpee & Ferry-Morse seed packets

These two historic seed companies are nearly identical in value. They are close in price, amount of seed per pack, and catalog depth. I am have little reservation going between the two. They both carry heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, flowers, herbs, peppers, squashes, melons, etc. Sweet corn is one of the few exceptions where I would prefer Burpee because of their exclusive ‘Triple Crown XP’ variety. While I grow many other types of corn, I have settled on ‘Triple Crown XP’ as my go-to summer time sweet corn. Not to be out done, Ferry-Morse carries ‘Early Sunglow’ corn; an old fashion sweet corn variety that can be grown early in my climate.

Botanical Interests

If my memory is correct, there was a time when the big box retailers carried the seed catalog of at least three seed companies; and I vaguely remember that Botanical Interests was among the three. These days, the complete catalog can be found in an employee owned garden retail chain called, “Armstrong Garden.” Botanical Interests was originally found by a husband and wife duo who believed strongly in excellence. Their iconic seed packets feature hand painted illustrates with detailed information about the variety. Their business model was one of value– high quality with low prices. (Note: In the sale of their company, the owners found a buyer that they felt was best to continue the company’s values. The Botanical Interests was sold to Epic Gardening in 2023.)

The per package price was never shockingly more than their competitors. While you pay a little more and may get a little less, the quality was high and the seeds were very uniform. In other words, at the end of the season, you may actually get a more plentiful harvest with fewer seeds of higher quality. I always felt that seeds are not different than most commodities in that there are recognized differences in grade on the wholesale market. My belief is that Botanical Interests carries “farm-grade / farm-variety seeds.” When it comes to my success with “difficult to grow crops” like broccoli seeds, my most consistent yields have been from what I believe are farm-grade seeds.

Pro-tip: when reading the seed packets, pay attention to the price of the seed packet and the amount of seeds per pack. Farm-grade seeds tend to be higher priced when it breaks down to price per seed or price per gram. With this caliber, Botanical Interests, will sell by the fewer than 10 seeds per packet or lower amounts by weight (e.g. by the milligram) to make the packets affordable.

Garlic chive seed packet 2012

While it may seem like this is not enough seeds, for the average gardener this is easily a year’s worth of seeds for that particular variety. For gardeners that can plant more than the average amount, they can find these farm-grade seeds in larger quantities online at Johnny’s Selected Seeds (more on them later.)

As a flower enthusiast Botanical Interests was one of the few carrying unique varieties and colors. Touching on rare and unique, they were also one of the first to make rare/speciality varieties available. Imagine my elation when I ran across a seeds for a vegetable that is culturally significant to me. For me that was finding garlic chive seeds at the Denver Botanical Gardens in 2012.

Online Retailers and Non Local Retailers

As mentioned earlier Burpee, Ferry-Morse, and Botanical Interests have their entire catalog online. Every now and then online stores will run promotions that range from discounts to free shipping. Without promotions on free shipping, purchasing online can quickly diminish value. To amortize the cost of shipping, I like to make fewer orders but larger and planned out orders. Two of my favorite online retailers are Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Pinetree Garden Seeds (both located on the East Coast.)

As I touched on earlier, some types of crop seeds have greater value when purchased as “farm grade.” These are often Asian vegetables, broccoli, and cauliflower. While I can find smaller quantities from Botanical Interests and Pinetree, I grow at an amount where bulk pricing would be the better value. This is where Johnny’s earns my business. Their seeds have very high uniformity. This is especially important because I am less likely to be planting with runty seeds. When I sow with this grade of seed, I sow one seed per cell. Too often with Asian vegetables like bok choy and gailan, seed companies do not include enough seeds per packet.

Because of the grade and quantity (seed packets often are 100-250 seeds per,) the per packet price is higher but reasonable. The shipping, however, is among the highest. With good planning, I am able to reduce my order to every two years. With an infrequent ordering schedule, when I do order I am more likely to hit their higher free shipping cut off. Sometimes when people ask me about where I purchase my seeds, I will tell them that I order from Johnny’s but to check Pinetree or Botanical Interests first for smaller quantities (lower per packet price.)

Speaking of quality and smaller quantity, Pinetree Garden Seeds is my go-to online retailer. They epitomize the main purpose of this article– value. Pinetree carries an extensive catalog of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and cover crop. They provide quality seeds and the per packet price is among the lowest because they tend not to over fill it.

Pinetree seed packet

Saving my own seeds is one of the best ways to save money and ensure quality. However when I grow the amount and diversity that I do, the seed saving effort can really take effort. I often grown different varieties of corn, squash, pumpkin, and melons through out very long growing seasons. These crop are more susceptible to cross pollination and extra planning and manual effort is needed to ensure the purity of the genetics of the seed.

When the packet is priced the way Pinetree does, the value of saving my own seeds falls.

Rare / Speciality Seeds

When it comes to rare or speciality seeds there are a few companies that I like to go to. If it isn’t listed here, it is probably because their prices and or shipping rates steal from the value.

Trade Winds Fruit, the per packet is on par with industry prices. They have an extensive catalog of rare fruits and vegetables. When my seed collection was larger, they were my source for Aji (peppers.)

Speaking of peppers, Sandia Seed Company is my go to for peppers of the Southwestern United States. Especially the Anaheim/Hatch peppers.

With the popularity of gardening at its highest ever, many seed companies have expanded their catalog to meet this need. In some cases, there is a particular variety that is hard to find and it is only available at the most recognized source for rare seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Packet prices range from $3 to $4 and shipping is free. Sometimes, there is a seed that I need and it is only available online. In these cases, it is hard to beat $4 for a packet of seeds shipped.

On the flipside, the Baker Creek per packet of seed is higher than their competitors. At these prices, the free shipping is an offset and the value diminishes. While each packet is fat with seeds the quality can range. Furthermore, the quantity is more than I can use.

Kitazawa Seed Company was sold to True Leaf Market in 2022. The brand can be found by either name. They specialize in Asian vegetables and package them with a good amount. While the bulk of my Asian vegetable seeds are purchased through Johnny’s, Kitazawa may still be the only online source of niche vegetable seeds like gai choy (giant Chinese mustard.)

CompanyOften boughtAdditional notes
Pinetree Garden SeedAspabroc, heirloom Italian tomatoes, cauliflower, flowers, herbs, shallots, onionsQuality seeds and lowest price by not over packing with seeds

Carries cover crops in bulk
Johnny’s Selected SeedVarious hybrid broccoli, sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, Asian greens (bok choy & gailan)Speciality florist quality cut flower seeds

Pelleted carrot seeds are convenient
Ferry-Morse Seed Company‘Black Beauty’ zucchini, flowers, herbs, general vegetablesI avoid broccoli (seeds not uniform enough for me)
Burpee Seeds‘Triple Crown XP’ sweet corn, flower, herbs, general vegetablesAsian greens (workable amount)
I avoid broccoli (seeds not uniform enough for me)
Botanical InterestsUnique colored flowers, general vegetables, and cover crop

Broccoli, cauliflower
‘Tokyo Long White’ scallions, ‘Yellow Granex PRR’ onion		I skip Asian greens (often not enough seeds per pack)

Cover crop in large packets.
Renee Garden‘Nickel’ filet beanSufficient amount of seeds packed for Asian greens

Rare/interesting culinary varieties
Trade Winds FruitAji (Peruvian) peppers, other peppers, maizeRare seeds; average packet is $2.50
Sandia Select SeedsAnahiem/Hatch peppers
Other NuMex breed varieties		New Mexico State University (NuMex) developed varieties
Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.$3-$4 per packet, free shipFor the rare time I need a packet of seeds shipped for $4 total

Tomatoes, Herbs, and Honorable Mentions

There are certain types of plants that grow like weeds and the best value will often be the packet that costs the least. Tomatoes and herbs are those types of plants. Unless it is a variety that I cannot find elsewhere, I prefer to source these “weedy” plants from the retailer that charges the least. This brings us into the seed companies that get an honorable mentions. A couple are budget and economically accessible companies.
American Seed can be found at discount brick and mortar. However, the catalog is very thin. Said a different way, the selection is very limited.
SeedsNOW.COM At the time of this writing the economy is all over the place. Their current pricing is not reflective of their historical relative price different. Depending on how things shake out, SeedsNOW.COM may revert back to being a discount retailer with an extensive catalog; that offers smaller quantities as a price savings. Or they may continue their current status of minimally discount retailer.

Renee Garden used to be available for me at an Orchard Supply Hardware brick and mortar. After OSH’s closing my access to the catalog is though the Renee Garden online catalog. They are a good company but I do not order enough to offset the shipping costs. In this way, it is difficult for me to be a regular customer. Note: they carry ‘Early Jade’ gailan (with approximately 285 seeds per packet) and ‘Nickel’ filet bean (haricots verts.)

To end this article, I refer you back to the beginning where I mentioned that among other things, value considers other individual preferences. For me, I also consider the cost of the product with relation to the size of the company’s ecosystem. Where I can, I prefer to support companies with a healthy and diverse ecosystem. In this ecosystem, many types of hands were part of the creation of the product and/or they place high value on their workers. The hands of illustrative artists, photographers, graphic artists, seed procurers, testers, quality assurers, packers, and other behind the scenes bodies.

Gardening for Everyone | Introduction: Yes, Everyone 

This content is copyright & intellectual property of Never Enough Dirt.

With many approaches to gardening, there is one to match up with everyone’s situation. As a host, I create space for the many different approaches to come together. As a docent, I will help those from one approach to understand those from another approach. As a coach/mentor, I will guide everyone to an approach that works for them in the present and future. As a teacher, I will provide approach-relevant information and knowledge.

The first step to gardening is to understand the different approaches/styles. The diagram below will help illustrate the main pathways.

Regenerative / Low Budget Gardening
Starting at home plate and following the green line will take you on a regenerative farming/gardening path. It is also the same path taken by those with limited budgets. It is the most rewarding path. This is the path of artisan, homesteader, self reliance and other likeminded folk. On this path you are “[a] jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

On the diagram, the necessity for possessing many skillsets, broad knowledge, and ability to use tools effectively are represents by boxes with a dark circle and a box with the word, “tool.”

The pictograms are lined up and are a simple algebra equation. Starting from the left, the badge with a lock represents security (S.) The two triangles attached are a pictogram for mountains to depict land (R.) The flexing arm represents elbow grease / labor (L.) The water droplet is just that: water (W.) Next is a pictogram of the sun (C) with the face of a clock (T). That represents and sun’s energy and time. Lastly, the battery pictogram represents synthetic energy (E.) This is human generated and stored energy in the form of: fertilizer/amendments and electricity (fossil fuel/clean energy.)

From those variables we have the following equation: S+R+L+W+C+T+E = Output

When viewing through this equation, not only is the picture more interesting, it is more insightful. It explains how growers in warm climates can grow more with less space; and vice versa in cold climates. As a resident of Southern California living on an urban lot, we are able to grow quite a bit and quite easily because of the climate. Additionally, as I have come to find out that many traditional gardening practices are based on limitations that are not relevant in a much different climate. As we get further along, I’ll share what those are.

With this equation in mind let us bring back a couple of variables from earlier– tools (t) and skilled labor (w.) These variables are multipliers. Matching the right tool with the right skillset will multiple the labor variable (twW.) Now making the following equation: S+R+L+twW+C+T+E = Output’

Using this equation to make a remark about Regenerative Agriculture: S+R+L+W+C+T = Output
In regenerative agriculture, the E variable is nonexistent or almost nonexistent. Instead of generating/capturing energy by synthetic means, energy is captured by raising animals, green manure, and silage primarily though the variables of land (R), water (W), the sun’s energy (C), and time(T). In other words, the sun’s energy is combined with elements from the earth and water. In time that energy is stored as living organisms. Energy is then release during the burning and or decomposition process.

The Purpose of Progress
It is important to acknowledge the purpose of progress is to allow choices of paths to be taken. With progress, it enables more of us to take the path of least resistance. In other words, success can be achieved without having to be an expert, ability/skill, nor a lot of time. As a result, gardening has blossomed into a large market with many products to suite the many situations progress has created. At the time of this writing, the “gardening” consumer space for mass consumption is newer and emerging. This space allows those in situations with little means to collect natural energy (C), too few of: land (R), time (T), knowledge/skill (w), and labor (L) due to time or mobility constraints.

On the diagram, this path is the fuchsia path or even the paths on the right. These paths involve an additional variable; and it is an impactful one– money. Money will buy appliances. Which will then take place of tools, skill, and labor. All the while, it is also important to acknowledge that progress can come at the cost of purpose & fulfillment. It is therefore crucial to maintain a sense of purpose when using progress as an accessibility device. After all, the whole point of gardening is to seek contentment through creation. In this frame of thought let us also acknowledge the mental health aspect of gardening.

Conclusion
There is space for the many ways to garden and this is a space for all of them. How someone garden is going to be very unique to their circumstances. Their approach is made evident when we consider the equation from the above diagram (S+R+L+twW+C+T+E = Output’). As such, there are two main pathways for gardening this day and age: low budget and consumer; mix in low and high tech; with everything in between.

Where one person may purchase a tailored product, another will go a different route. While their resources may be limited, they will be able to achieve the same goals by using their skills and unique knowledge. At the end of the day, we are all seeking the same thing and that is fulfillment through purpose and excellence.

Up next: The truth about “garden soil” and how best to use it.

Hodge podge
Regenerative / low impact / budget
Curated & defined

Sowing Journal

Sowing-Journal-2023Download

The above spreadsheet was created with Google Sheets. In addition to being a journal of what I sow, I use it to record growing and harvest notes from trials. There is also a corn calculator to help track expecting harvest dates. This calculator helps me plan when to sow different varieties to minimize cross pollination and maximize the number of varieties of corn we can grow in a given year.

Blue Print

The following diagram is for reference to content to be found on our Instagram account.

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Never Enough Dirt.

Public Service Announcement: Low Impact Development

Public Service Announcement (PSA):

Without Low Impact Development (LID), lawns can no longer exist. Native gardens become ecological liabilities: less permeable surface than lawns and enablers: of dust /air pollution, vermin population increases, flood, erosion, and wildfires.

With LID, harvesting thousands of gallons of rainwater can be enabled on your property as DYI project(s) or through a LID contractor.

With a rare consecutive year of La Nina (drought conditions in the Southwestern USA), the water situation looks dire. The silver lining is that we should be seeing more normal weather patterns next year. However, we need to act in order to not get ourselves in this situation again.

For those able to make the necessary modifications to their land/property, please adopt and implement Low Impact Development (LID) designs. Agencies tasked with LID are primarily concerned with storm-water management. LID designs divert rainwater from storm drains through infiltration and tanks. The secondary effect of LID is the restoration of the hydrological cycle. This restoration in effect allows for the storage of rainwater in the earth. Millions of gallons of precious rainwater is otherwise lost to the ocean. When water is stored in the ground, our plants can survive on natural rainfall and will only need supplemental water during the hot months. Furthermore, rainwater infiltration flushes accumulated salts from our soil.

LID and permaculture principles both mimic natural systems. The biggest difference is that LID design specifications have industry/regional standardization. With this standardization LID may be implemented at scale. With LID, harvesting thousands of gallons of rainwater can be enabled on your property as DYI project(s) or through a LID contractor. See your local municipality for region specific LID guidelines/requirements. For the Los Angeles area, the City of Los Angeles LID handbooks are a great place to start. Look for these at the following link or at the City of Los Angeles Sanitization department. https://lacitysan.org/san/faces/home/portal/s-lsh-wwd/s-lsh-wwd-wp/s-lsh-wwd-wp-lid/s-lsh-wwd-wp-lid-ld?_adf.ctrl-state=siquvmi6c_5&_afrLoop=7676140078240805#!

Restoring the hydrological cycle is crucial. Without this restoration, lawns can no longer exist. Native gardens become ecological liabilities: less permeable surface than lawns and enablers: of dust /air pollution, vermin population increases, flood, erosion, and wildfires. Without this restoration we will collectively continue to use more water than available– a threat to home gardens.

Our Never Enough Dirt gardens thrives because we capture and infiltrate every rain event. Furthermore, our soil is comprised of a signification percentage of native clay, a water and nutrient retaining medium. One of the simplest yet most impactful action every arid climate gardener can take is to incorporate more native clay into their garden. Start with a 30% incorporation of clay to the soil mix. Afterward, adjust watering and amendment schedules accordingly.

Further reading:
What is the hydrological cycle, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/hydrological-cycle

An even rarer third La Nina has been forecasted for Fall of 2022. Hopefully this 3rd event does not extend beyond 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01668-1

What We Grow & How We Grow — Our Kitchen Garden

As a stay-at-home dad my focus is on mentoring my young kids (7 & 5 years old.) How I interact with them is how I interact with our garden. With time as the necessary component, I practice what I call, “Harmonious Communication.” This type of communication is a culmination of many principles; with “Nonviolent Communication” principles playing a large part. In addition to, a deep understanding of the principles and mechanisms that drive the natural world enables us to do more with less effort and resources. The natural world is a machine with many moving parts. All these parts interact with one another moving in opposing directions (cause and effect) to generate the propulsion that moves towards a harmonious state.

One understood principle is that pests and diseases are an indicator of a cause and effect loop. Our gardens are planted with this understanding. As a result, I spend time to foster robust and resilient plants; as opposed to spending time to treat them. This is achieved by understanding what nature’s purpose is for a certain pest or disease and putting that to work. The opposite is to act on the problem without knowing that it will exacerbate it. This is liken to removing the natural feedback back effect and replacing it with human driven effort.

It is also very important to note that all growing styles are relevant. Which style a gardener chooses will be dependent on their set of circumstances and the amount of time they have. These tours are for garden enthusiasts; to enjoy seeing what we grow and to understand some of the mechanics of how our garden grows.

Video caption: Hello, I am Brian. About 8 years ago I became a stay at home dad. I went from an after work and weekend gardener to a food producer for our family. About a year ago, I put my energy on succession planting. To date, our garden provides us with the bulk of our produce. Our climate does most of the growing. My job is to ensure: -that there is a constant supply of food for our soil. -that I understand the needs of individual types of plants and to match up them up with those conditions. -that is a constant stream of new plants to take the place of harvested plants. To bring everything together, I take a multidimensional skills and knowledge based approach. There is a blend of many disciplines from farm management to holistic practices. Results are a steady supply of variety and garden to table produce.

Succession Growing, An Illustration

Growing beds with one type of vegetable for one large harvest has been a traditional gardening practice for the longest time. Succession planting for smaller yields and variety, on the other hand, is an impactful re-imagination of this traditional gardening practice. There are many reasons why single harvest methods of growing is the most popular method. Above all, the reason it persists is because this practice is relatively easy to grasp, manage, and execute. Climate is another influencer of how food is grown. Southern California’s climate allows for year-round growing. This means that many types of crops can be grown throughout the year; versus having to grow our fill for the year in a short amount of time.

Video caption: A variety of fresh (garden to table) vegetables are perhaps the greatest perks of growing a garden. Succession planting is key to this perk. In this video, we see an example of succession planting in action. This is a skill that takes time, patience, and discipline to develop. The key take away is that it is possible.

Crazy About Citrus

Collecting citrus is a hobby of mine. Blood oranges are one category that I enjoy curating.

The Plants Not Often Seen

As someone who has a fascination for the natural world, I am also very interesting it non food plants. They are not often seen or highlighted on my social media content but they do exist. Look for them in the background!

Garden to table: Nixtamal Cherokee White Eagle Corn Tortilla

A recipe to turn the joy of growing heirloom dent corn into tortilla for tacos, quesadilla, chips, etc.

Over a thousand year of cultivation
In addition to the neat appearance and coloration, heirloom corn have historical, geographical, and cultural significance. These heirloom varieties developed hundreds of years ago (and longer) became a vital food source for the indigenous people of the Americas.

Nixtamalization
One of the special qualities of corn is that it is a grain. Corn is grown with surplus in mind; it is then dried and stored to be consumed during the non growing season or times of lean harvests. Dent corn varieties with their starchy qualities are the most ideal type of corn to use as grain. Without machinery, turning this hard grain into an ingredient can take enormous amounts of labor. Nixtamalization was discovered as a process to make corn easier to work with. Developed over 1500 years ago in Mesoamerica, nixtamalization is a process of rehydrating corn in an alkaline solution. This process of rehydrating corn loosens and softens the tough hull and germ. Thus the corn becomes softer and easier to grind. More importantly, it makes corn more nutritious while also removing toxins from mold that may have grown during the storage of this grain. [Source: Wikipedia]

In this recipe, you will be making tortilla from nixtamal masa. (Masa is a dough made from ground dried corn. Nixtamal masa is masa made from nixtamalized dried corn.)

Recipe

Makes about twelve 5-inch tortillas.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cup dried dent corn (~two 6-inch ears of ‘Cherokee White Eagle’ corn. )
  • 1 tablespoon pickling lime (also known as calcium hydroxide)
  • water
  • salt
Two ears of ‘Cherokee White Eagle’ dent corn
yields about 1.5 cups

Turning dried corn to nixtamal masa to tortilla is a two day process. Recommended equipment: a food mill capable of making masa (or food processor,) cast iron skillet or carbon steel pan, 8 quart pot, colander, shallow bowl, wax paper, two small cutting boards (or a tortilla press.)

Nixtamal masa
Simmer and Steep
Fill an 8 quart enameled or stainless steel (non reactive) pot a little more than half way with water, add 1 tablespoon of pickling lime, and bring to a boil. Add corn and let boil for about a minute before reducing to a simmer. Simmer for 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the corn to steep overnight (12 hours.) The alkaline solution will soften the hard outer hull (pericarp) and give it a membrane like characteristic. While the solution is safe to handle, do note that it is caustic to some degree. Handle with care until you know your tolerances.

Wonder Junior DELUXE PLUS w/ masa auger
(Product not endorsed by NeverEnoughDirt)

Rinse and Clean
Next day, drain and rinse corn in a colander. At this point the membrane, tip cap, and germ can be removed from the kernel. This is done by rubbing hands against the corn and removing individually. This is necessary for recipes that call for a very smooth masa; like tamale. For our tortilla, a little bit of grit gives it great texture. It therefore will not be necessary to remove everything entirely.

Mill and Dough
The next step is milling the nixtamal into nixtamal masa. Feed the masa mill a little bit at a time (less than a handful) and mill at the finest setting. Adding a tablespoon of water during the milling can help. Experiment with adding some water here and there to find what works best. A food processor is an alternative. Work in small batches and experiment with adding water.



Once all the nixtamal has been milled, add a couple of pinches of salt and knead the loose nixtamal. Add a little water at a time until it comes together into a large ball. When the dough is too dry, it will not stay together. When it is too wet, your hand will be sticky with nixtamal. An ideal ball of nixtamal masa will not leave your hands wet like you just washed them.

Making tortilla
Allow the masa to rest for about 15 minutes. 5-inch tortillas are easiest to work with. Shape a ball about the size of an extra large meat ball. Place one sheet of wax paper over a medium cutting board. Place the dough ball in the center of the wax paper. Then lay (on center) a sheet of wax paper on top. Using another cutting board, place it center over the dough ball and press straight down.

When the desired thickness is reached, set aside the top cutting board. Slowly peel away the top off the wax paper sandwich. Then gently place the wax paper back on top of the tortilla. Grab the bottom wax paper, flip it over and gently peel the wax paper away. Transfer the tortilla onto the palm of your hand. Finally, transfer the tortilla onto a heated pan. Carbon steel pans or cast iron skillets work best. Cook until one side is slightly toast before flipping it over and cooking the other side.

Finished tortillas are great as snacks, quesadilla, tacos, and even fried up as chips.

Recipe notes: This particular garden to table combines an ancient corn processing technique developed over 1500 years ago in Mesoamerica with a variety of corn that was developed in North America.

11″ carbon steel pan

Brian Truong is a kitchen garden cook. He enjoys cultivating historically and culturally significant ingredients for a garden to table experience. See what he is up to on Instagram and on YouTube @neverenoughdirt and also at https://neverenoughdirt.com

FROM THE GARDEN: Huitlacoche Quesadilla

In our garden we happily found huitlacoche (a fungus that took over development of an ear of corn). With it, we prepared in a quesadilla. So as to get a good gauge of this delicacy, we used minimal ingredients. In our tasting, we found the dark pasty part of the huitlacoche to have a nutty taste that is mild. Its texture is a very fine grain. When crushed between teeth, it has a tiny pop that is nice. The white membrane that encases the dark paste is airy and snappy with a fresh corn taste.

Huitlacoche has long been a delicacy in Mexico. In fact, corn truffle as it is also known also dates back to Aztec culture. What makes this a delicacy is rarity. The conditions that allow for this fungus to grow has to be particular. Rainy and weather is usually the key. Up until recently, in western cultures finding fungus in a corn patch was disheartening. Farmers and growers would call it corn smut.

Somewhere along the way, the secret got out. Corn fungus is tasty, unique, and contains amino acids that the body does not produce. The kinds of goodies that help fight infection among other things. Suddenly there was not corn smut to be found. Rather, there were harvests of huitlacoche and corn truffle.