adkbuck

ants, we don't wait for the cloves to sprout before putting on the straw in October. The cloves don't seem to start sprouting until early spring. I sprinkle on a layer of loose straw a few inches deep ( 3 inches or so) on top of them after I plant them. The sprouts will find their way through the straw. Some of my neighbors have tried to grow garlic by starting the cloves in the spring but it just doesn't seem to work. Fall planting toughens the plant and gives it more time to grow in our climate. The hard neck varieties seem to grow best in New York state although I have heard of some guys doing good with the softnecks. I started mine from ordinary German hard necks that were raised on the south shore of Lake Ontario in Oswego. Also it a good idea to use a fertilizer that has the last two numbers much higher than the first, like 6-12-12 or 10-20-20. The higher phosphorus and potassium will help root crops quite a bit. .

Yes ants, we plant them about 2 inches deep pointy side up and cover the bed with straw. They say you get more consistent results from the cloves rather than the seeds although we always seem to have a few volunteers from the plants I miss when removing scapes that go to flower. They usually are much smaller than the ones I grow from cloves.

Hi Trapper, Very interesting. We are located at about 1500 feet elevation in Central NY so we harvest a bit later. I grow about 240 plants each year. I have been growing German hard neck for the last six or seven years since it seems to handle the winter well and is a wonderful tasting garlic. It has white outer skin and reddish inner skin. It usually form 5 to 6 large cloves. I probably should try some other varieties for the fun of it. My bulbs averaged about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter this year. I plant in mid October and cover with straw. I cut off the scapes in June. I'd be interested in how many plants do you grow and what varieties you grow and any other observations or tips you might have. Thanks. Photo of a typical bulb below.

We got a break between the monsoon downpours today and I got to harvest the garlic patch (German Hard necks). Anybody else growing garlic?

Paula, Glad your up there. My Dad worked at Sunmount (the big white buildings North of the Lake) when it was VA hospital. It now a state facility for people with disabilities. We lived in Saranac Lake. Thanks for the picture. Enjoy being in God's country.

grow, do you make your own wine too? I envy you. The new grapes sound great.

Venison Steaks, with garden grown pole beans and broccoli and a little chianti. I switched my pole beans from Kentucky Wonder to Fortex two seasons ago. The are the best green bean I have ever grown in terms of taste, size (up 11 inches long) and stay tender if you forget to pick them. Photo below.

I would suggest getting a 22 caliber rifle with the same action and similar scope as your 270 WSM. Practice with that to get your general marksmanship where it should be and continue to practice with it throughout the year. Take your 270 WSM to the range and get it sighted in properly. A lot of guys including myself like to sight in about 2 inches high at 100 yards. This will give a zero at somewhere beyond 200 yards depending on your exact ammunition. Then every so often go to the range, recheck your zero and shoot from various positions including the standing position.

Thanks land, I don't think crows are included but woodcock for sure are. Just checked, you are NOT required to register for crows: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/65847.html

Thanks, This is a good example of the madness of modern liberalism. " The liberal agenda gratifies various types of pathological dependency; augments primitive feelings of envy and inferiority; reinforces paranoid perceptions of victimization; implements manic delusions of grandeur; exploits government authority for power, domination and revenge; and satisfies infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation." - Lyle Rossiter, Jr., M.D.

I'm going to look into vitamin D thing.. Since we live in upstate NY where there is a shortage of sun, there may be something to this. It would be nice if I could avoid the painful hand cramps I get from time to time. Thanks.

Thanks, This was well worth watching!

gr, I take thermotabs:http://www.numarklabs.com/index.php?src=directory&view=Products&srctype=detail&back=Products&refno=11 Basically your cramps are muscle contractions that happen due to the loss of electrolytes when you work up a sweat. There can be nerve issues as well so its a good idea to talk it over with a doctor. They sure can be painful.

Signed it. Thanks.

Good advice I'd say. Thanks.

Good point Two Track. The first compass I had get remagnetized was my own fault as I was using my hunting compass to check polarity on some powerful rare earth (Samarium Cobalt) magnetic circuits as part of an engineering job. Your compass will either be correct or 180 degrees in error, I subjected the compass to a reverse polarity field before it could move and the needle got remagnetized. I have no idea what happened to the second compass I had a problem with. The key is to keep your hunting compasses away from any magnetic fields. Always have multiple compasses and use the sun, GPS when available to check the accuracy of your compasses. Before the season and before heading out into the back country check your compass at home with known lines of bearing.

Me too, driving me nuts. Great purslane crop on my parsnip patch. So easy to grow! growalot... do you eat it? I tasted it I could see using it in place of water cress. Just wondering.

Glad you didn't get any serious damage! Have a good day as the waters receded (I hope). Phade, sorry to hear about your water problem. Hope you catch a break.

Thanks guys. Philoshop...... wow that was quite an adventure for a 12-yr old. Good for you. Those must have been great days!

Nice pic Elmer, Assateague is beautiful. The island is great. http://www.nps.gov/asis/planyourvisit/marylandcamping.htm When we were there we stayed in a motel in Chincoteague but the camping at the national park like you said looked fantastic! If there go to Bill's Seafood in Chincoteaque, fantastic seafood and inexpensive!

Larry, I would humbly suggest that distancing bow hunters as being morally superior to gun hunters may not be the way to go when confronted with an anti hunter. We all want to educate but I would say throwing your brother gun hunters under the bus is not the best approach. Most of us hunt with bow and firearms. The non hunting public will get the impression that there large number of slob hunters exist out there taking risky shots etc. The anti crowd works on principle that incremental victories will lead to winning the war. Therein lies the danger. If they limit the freedom of gun hunters eventually freedom to hunt with a bow will be curtailed and vice versa. Just a thought for your consideration. No offense intended. You seem like a thoughtful guy.

Here are a few shots from an easy hike we've done, Chimney Bluffs State Park. A bit west of Fairhaven on Lake Ontario. Its a nice family hike and geologically very interesting.

Why in the world would our state government put a maximum on the draw weight of a cross bow? Pennsylvania and almost all the states that allow crossbows have a minimum but no maximum.

Mike thanks for your efforts on our behalf. I just read the article.

Lots of good info! Interesting! Will look forward to watching more. Thanks for the post.