There are weeds in the garlic plot. Twelve rows of garlic, each bed with four rows, in beds 240 feet long. 20,000 garlic plants that have their own soil.

Don is the farmer. The garlic bed is one of the newest. Starting from grass turf, the ground was turned over, and disked twice. It was planted with sorghum last fall to increase organic content. Later last fall, an expensive cover of good strong compost was laid down to start the 12 beds.

I have a strong interest in garlic. I grew garlic on my small farm I called Sow Love Reap Joy Farm located in Manorville. I held a garlic festival. I attended a garlic festival in Saugerties upstate. I inspired the Garden of Eve to start growing garlic. I became the Garlic Queen at my garlic festival. Julie, my daughter, made me a garlic hat. I made a garlic queen bra, and conducted a garlic teach in. I researched garlic. Finally, I passed the garlic festival idea on to the Garden of Eve in Northville and served as Mr. Garlic Man and sold braids of garlic at their first festival.

Nancy and I arrived while Don was transplanting “leggy” tomato seedlings in the green house. He wasn’t ready for us to start planting. Nancy hoed the bloc Choy bed. I decided to weed in the garlic bed.

“The weather’s been crazy.’ Planting is way behind schedule. Don stats planting in early March. By May, the temperature and soil should be ready to set out plugs with their dense white roots that have been squeezed into tiny cells in the greenhouse. There were several hours of tomato transplanting; there was rot tilling, setting out irrigation tubes, and lots of seedlings to plant. The opening day for shareholders when they visit to pick up their share has been delayed. Don has yet to plant several of the greens that are necessary for the first pickup. Planning is essential. Don can do it. His is a smart man and excellent farmer.

Why so much garlic? It is medicine and had powerful healing properties; it is excellent in recipes; it is valuable economically. None of the garlic will go to waste.

The garlic beds are close to the bee yard and compost piles. It is not part of the rest of the beds. From the middle of the plot, one sees a large open space of trees, charming chapel, the open sky, aircraft that take off from an airport just to the North, and all the farm structures, the water tank, and the old original mother house. Although one can the noise of traffic from New Highway, there is peace and serenity here. I always long to hang out here.  Just doing this is medicine in itself.

I identified three common weeds that have colonized the paths between the beds: chickweed, plantain, and dandelion. Garlic is a heavy feeder. Last fall, its cloves were the last thing planted for the 2016 season. The cloves sprout, are covered with mulch to protect them from freezing, and in the sprint, shoot up with rapid growth.

This time of year garlic is growing rapidly. By June it begins to shut down. The whole life history of garlic is fascinating. I await the chance to pop a whole fresh clove into my mouth, chew it, and experience the sting and heat of its chemicals!

Chickweed is easy to pull out. It has a small root system but spreads out into a circle. All I have to do is get my hand around the stem and pulls out easily. Since I didn’t bring a container, I toss the weeds and let the strong westerly wind carry them away.

Dandelion has a different strategy. It sends down a strong taproot and only small dandelions release themselves from Mother Earth.  With the bigger ones it is useless. I’d gave a hand full of leaves and the root stays put, ready to sprout new leaves. Dandelion leaves also spread out in a circle close to the ground which prevents other plants from growing close.

Plantain is the perfect weed. It has strong fibrous roots and holds tight, strong leaves in a circle, and produced a tall stalk so wind can carry away its seeds. I learned that if I pulled slowly and twisted the plant, it came out. It also has a prostrate posture that prevents encroachment.

Don started cultivating a large rectangle of soil for planting. This soil is beautify, brown, rich earth that has been composted with no herbicides or pesticides. I located a raven in the top of a tree calling its raucous call sounding as if it had a sore throat. Once Don moved the tractor off the the raven descended right in the middle and started feeding. It was followed by starlings, grackles and gangs of sparrows. The farm feeds animals as well as humans.

For me, there is something more. Here is a great place to track the cloud parade. These magnificent cumulus clouds are mountains overhead. Many acres of open space are at my doorstep. Everything is intelligent, relevant and related. There is no place else on Earth I’d rather be than standing the garlic patch on Homecoming Farm.