Friday, May 18, 2012

Garlic RUST!!! EEEEKKKKK!!!

I have been seeing the leaves on my garlic plants turn yellow and I wasn't alarmed. I mean, they should be turning yellow at this time.

But on closer inspection of my garlic plants, I saw some small yellow-orange spots all over the leaves. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE!! I knew it wasn't good so I looked online. Basically it can kill your garlic plant, even the bulb if it gets really bad. I thought for sure my garlic plants are doomed and I wouldn't see a single garlic bulb.

When I got home today, I dug around 4 bulbs and pulled them up. I was very surprised to see some wonderfully LARGE garlic bulbs - disaster averted. Since I have about 80 - 100 more bulbs to dig up, I decided to stop and start first thing tomorrow morning to dig up the rest.

For those who see those little yellow-orange spots all over the garlic leaves, check your garlic bulbs!! throw away the garlic leaves in the garbage, and don't think about throwing it into your compost pile, or you'll see this problem next year, and the following, and.... And it is highly advisable that you do NOT grow garlic (or anything of the Allium family for that matter) in that same growing area for 2 - 3 years, preferably even 7 years, but as a small backyard farmer, I don't have that much space to begin with.

I am hoping for many more large cloves...keep your fingers crossed!

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