Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:



@BlgDAM

What variety blackberry are you growing?  I think I want to try that on a cattle panel. I like what you've got going there.

~Kitties

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
I've been looking at those.  Going through the U of Arkansas Blackberry School right now.  I don't want to grow commercially but it's a great education on blackberry plant growth and development.  I'm a few zones north of you I'm guessing.

So question group 2:

Is that a full-length cattle panel?  And your berries are planted in those raised beds?  

It looks like you've got some kind of fencing at the bottom of the panel.  Is that for a particular reason re: the blackberries?   (I'm picking your brain so if I do this I can avoid mistakes more the first time.

Do the berries go all the way up and over?  (I'm assuming you're training them).

Yours is the cleanest looking for berry production that I've seen.  Interested in any info on how this is working for you.  I'm probably going to try one of the U of Arkansas thornless varieties as well.

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted By BIgDAM:
We've already harvested our onion bed. Total of 54 plants, that should get us through most if not all of the year.

We also pulled 2 or our 3 garlic beds. Didn't count, but again, will get us through the year , and we still have our last bed.

The blackberries are in full production and we got our first full bowl today.

My yard is more garden than yard now.

Pics...

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/251964/1000010455_jpg-3761535.JPG

Originally Posted By JCoop:
What kind of onion is that? Looks like Patterson. I only grow those now because they get big and keep just about all winter.

Originally Posted By BIgDAM:
They are 1015y

Originally Posted By BIgDAM:
I also planted sun choke just to try out, since we wasted a lot of money last year on potato towers that didnt produce.

Originally Posted By Buckshot4U:
I finally got something in the ground.  3 rows of corn planted a few nights ago.  I hope to get the maters and peppers in the ground tomorrow.

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Garlic question:

I've been waiting for my garlic to make scapes.  

Had a bunch of really nice elephant garlic from a member here.

All of a sudden it's all begun to head.

No scapes.

What did I do wrong?

Originally Posted By JCoop:
Go ask Grok (as I just did) "why would elephant garlic would fail to produce scapes". There are a number of reasons why this might happen.

Originally Posted By BIgDAM:
None of our garlic produced shapes this year either. We still pulled 2 beds and it all looks good. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/251964/3263_jpg-3769066.JPG

Originally Posted By JCoop:
Grok is the artificial intelligence agent on X.com (formerly twitter). You can ask it questions and it ingests a ton of internet information and spits out answers.
I asked it, "Why would elephant garlic not produce scapes?". Here's what it said.


Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is actually more closely related to leeks than to true garlic, and it behaves like a biennial plant. This is the most common reason it doesn't produce scapes in a given season.

Main Reasons for No Scapes

First-year growth cycle: In its first growing season (especially from cloves planted the previous fall or spring), elephant garlic typically focuses energy on forming one large, single bulb (often called a "round") without bolting or producing a flower stalk (scape). It only sends up scapes and divides into multiple cloves in its second year. Many gardeners see this pattern.

Plant size and maturity: Smaller or younger plants (from small cloves or bulbils) may skip scaping until they're vigorous enough. Larger, well-established bulbs are more likely to bolt in spring.

Environmental factors:Insufficient cold period (vernalization): Like many alliums, it needs a period of cold to trigger flowering. Mild winters or very warm climates can reduce or delay scaping.

Stress or poor conditions: Extreme heat, drought, waterlogging, nutrient deficiencies, or poor soil can prevent bolting. Healthy, unstressed plants in rich, well-drained soil with consistent moisture are more likely to produce scapes.


Timing: Scapes usually emerge in spring. If you're checking too early, they may not have appeared yet. Elephant garlic scapes tend to be straight/tall (up to 5 6 feet) and don't curl like hardneck garlic scapes.

What You Can Do: Be patient   If it's the first year or the bulbs are still single and large, leave them in the ground (or replant) for next season. They'll often produce scapes then.

Improve growing conditions:Full sun, rich well-drained soil (pH 6 7), consistent moisture but not soggy.
Good fertility (compost or balanced fertilizer).
Mulch for winter protection in colder areas.
If it should be scaping but isn't: It could be variety, planting stock quality, or unusual weather. Some people report no scapes even in year two under suboptimal conditions.

Once scapes do appear, remove them early (when a few inches tall) so the plant puts energy into the bulb instead of the flower   they're edible and tasty when young.

Elephant garlic is forgiving and productive once established. If you share more details (e.g., when you planted, your location/climate, plant size, or if the bulbs are single or cloved), I can give more tailored advice!