Today I went by Kirstens allotment with some garlic, potatoes and seeds. She grow 100m² and use every square meter fantastic. Ex. achocha (seen behind her) follow her very tall peas. In this way she understand to grow her garden very intense – very inspiring for me.
Good people have been very generous (thanks to Patrick and all of you), and donated/exchanged new varieties of garlic, even more than I have room for. Kirsten is one of these dear souls, who will grow the “orphans”. In time we will select for the best garlics in our gardens. Anne from a neighbor allotment comes a little later, and then they will plant garlic in both allotments today.
Back home I also planted garlic. First I had to bring some order to them.
I still have 31 varieties, and I think I just have room for them. Some of them I’m confident with, and will only plant topsets. In this way I keep the variety in my garden, save space and can quickly grow more of them next year.
As the heavy clay soil is improving it loosens up. Cats of the neighborhood likes digging in it, messing the garlics around. To prevent this mess, I have covered the garlicbeds with mesh.
Next week I will spread some organic fertilizer, feeding the sprouting garlic roots.
In the toad's garden 
October 21, 2007 at 18:17
In my new garden I have 300m2, but I have so much I want to grow. I’ve never really been limited by space in my garden before. If you have any ideas for plating intensively, I hope you will post them…
I’m surprised you need fertilizer with clay ground. The garlic I sent you was grown in clay without fertilizer, only compost. I never had any problem getting enough compost material, because the weeds grow so big and fast in clay!
Good luck with the garlic.
October 21, 2007 at 20:23
There are many tricks in intensive gardening, and I guess you already know most of them. I believe in growing the crops you enjoy most, and then realise not everything has to be started in spring. One of the things Kirsten is clever at, is her sceduled use of a frame, gets her an early start in spring, and in the frame she apparantly allways have seedlings ready to plant out. And then she is not afraid to plant second crop out, before the first has finished, as long as they both thrive in company.
My clay was never tilled before the house was built, as it was dry beach meadow. So loam has never been built up, and I need to use both compost and fertilizer (organic), to have a reasonable size of veggies. But maybe in ten years or so compost alone could be enough to keep the soil fertile. Using organic fertilizer speeds up the process of building a better soil, by having the plants producing more organic material in ground/roots and on top, for the compost.
August 3, 2008 at 19:55
[…] these two pictures I’m proud to present the results of the competition: Kirsten is the winner of our little competition – […]