Garlic planting

We spent a chilly (but sunny) morning recently planting garlic in preparation for next year - about 150 cloves (about 10 lbs), in hopes of finally growing enough garlic to last our family for a whole year.  This work took some time, but was a great job for an eager 3-year old helper - digging holes with a stick, peeling garlic, and dropping the garlic cloves one by one into each hole, then covering the entire bed with a mesh screen (to prevent our pesky squirrels from digging up all our hard work!)  Of course, it was nothing compared to the 70 lbs planted by our local Fertile Ground CSA, where they offer their 100 members a small share of garlic during the season.  At last week's CSA pick up we all took turns sitting around dividing up garlic bulbs into cloves, in preparation for the planting.  I also came across a really interesting idea from the Planet Repair Institute in Portland: creating a community garlic planting co-op using a neighbourhood lot as the large communal garlic garden.  Something to try in this neighbourhood next year!