harvesting garlic: old family ways meet new garden trends
This summer, as I knelt in my backyard, pulling up over a hundred garlic bulbs, I was swept back to my childhood. I remembered my grandmother’s hands, stained with earth, showing me how to braid garlic and hang it in the cool cellar. Back then, every neighbor had their own patch, and the smell of fresh garlic filled the air. Today, I see more folks turning to raised beds and store-bought soil mixes, chasing perfect Instagram gardens.
But is something lost in this shift? My neighbors debate: some love the neat, modern look, while others miss the wild, tangled rows that felt like home. In our North American climate, with its unpredictable springs and harsh winters, old-timers swear by planting hardneck varieties in the fall, while younger gardeners experiment with softneck types and mulching tricks.
There’s tension, too, in our community rules—some HOAs frown on visible vegetable patches, pushing us to hide our garlic behind ornamental shrubs. I wonder: is beauty in a manicured lawn, or in the rough, healing power of homegrown food?
This year’s harvest was a mix of triumph and failure. Some bulbs were huge and fragrant, others stunted by a late frost. But as I braided the stalks, I felt connected—to my family, to the land, and to a tradition that’s both changing and enduring. Do you stick to the old ways, or embrace the new?
#garlicharvest #familytraditions #gardeningdebate #Gardening
