FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2011 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
garden
Best time to plant is in October
Garlic ‘seeds’ really tiny bulbs
Q: My mother, who lives in Saskatoon, grew some purple garlic and the end of the stem had a mass of seeds. At least, that’s what I think they are. Can I plant these seeds, and if so when and where?
thick rigid stem that stands straight up. The other has a smaller bud and a thinner stem. Any thoughts?
A: Garlic doesn’t make true seeds. Instead, it makes a head of tiny bulbs at the end of each stem. These are called bulbils. They can be planted, but in my garden it was two years before I could harvest garlic clusters from them. I planted them in October and the following August each bulbil had produced one bulb that looked like a small onion. They tasted like normal garlic cloves. I stored some in my cool, dry basement and planted them again in October. The following August I found they had grown into normal garlic clusters that could be split into cloves and planted to continue the cycle. In B.C., garlic gets a really good start from October planting because it can make roots all winter. But if
The World In A Garden and FarmFolk CityFolk present
PLAN A PLAN
annemarrison garlic is planted in spring, the resulting clusters are often smaller than those of fall-planted garlic. It’s possible that bulbils planted in spring might need three years of growing before producing normal garlic clusters. Garlic’s favourite conditions are a sunny spot and rich soil.
Q: I have been trying to figure out which varieties of Oriental poppy I have in my yard. Based on some old tags I found, I believe one is Turkenlouis and the other Pizzicato. But I don’t know which is which. One has a larger bud before flowering and a very
A: Pizzicato is described by sellers as being semidwarf and having a very strong stem. So that’s probably a positive ID. Turkenlouis is a poppy with a fringed edge to the petals. So if your other poppy is fringed, that will be Turkenlouis. But it’s easy for old tags to migrate. If the smaller, thinnerstemmed poppy doesn’t have a fringe, it may be some other kind of poppy you bought or even a seedling. Often people let Oriental poppy heads dry on the plant, hoping to use them for dried flower arrangements in winter. If you’re just a little late in gathering them, you can get quite a few seedlings next spring. The smaller bud and thinner stem may indicate a very young plant. Send your garden questions to amarrison@shaw.ca.
VANCOUVER SCREENING of
a film by TAGGART SIEGEL JON BETZ
Sara Shaw, Abbotsford
Joyce Diemert
A25
IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary
idfa 2010
WINNER
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
AUDIENCE AWARD
INDIEMEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL
MAUI FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
WINNER
YOUTH JURY RHODE ISLAND INT’L
PARE LORENTZ AWARD HONORABLE MENTION
WINNER
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY
ENT EV EVENT
DIRECTOR’S CHOICE RHODE ISLAND INT’L FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
IDA
SYRACUSE FILM FESTIVAL
WINNER
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL
PLANET IN FOCUS FILM FESTIVAL
a thoughtful evening featuring
film + speakers + food drink + gift bags!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 7:00 – 9:30 PM RIDGE THEATRE, 3131 ARBUTUS STREET
jfsa.ca Tickets $29 at Whole Foods Markets and www.festivalcinemas.ca Details: www.theworldinagarden.com or www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca
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