UMaine Extension garlic project retains growing in gardens

ORONO — For approximately a quarter-century, Dave Fuller has been teaching folks of all ages how to mature hardneck garlic. It’s been 1 of his parts of knowledge as a College of Maine Cooperative Extension agriculture and nontimber forest merchandise expert primarily based in Farmington, in accordance to a information launch from the extension.

He has supplied fingers-on teaching for commercial growers and dwelling gardeners in the cultivation, harvest, curing and storage of the pungent perennial in Maine. With UMaine Extension crops professional Steven Johnson, Fuller has created Extension publications and movies that have grown garlic fans throughout the world. Together with Johnson, Fuller also has had quite a few garlic research projects, together with the most current, a 3-year examine of the effects of scape elimination at unique development stages on the dimensions of the harvested bulb.

This slide, as he ready for his retirement from UMaine Extension in February, Fuller knew he wanted to find a dwelling for the 800 bulbs he’s applied in his investigate. He contacted colleagues and grasp gardener volunteers who worked with organizers of faculty and group gardens, together with tribal gardens, where by some of the 100 lbs . of garlic could be planted and used for academic applications, helping with food items sovereignty endeavours and feeding the hungry.

In 54 spots in practically just about every Maine county, Fuller’s garlic now has a next everyday living.

“It’s a amazing way to lengthen the educating,” claimed Fuller, noting that hardneck garlic was a fairly new crop in Maine when he started out developing it 28 several years in the past. Certainly, as component of his interview for his UMaine Extension work 24 years ago, he did an educational system on garlic.

“I started and ended my profession with garlic,” he suggests. “It’s a attractive plant, quick to expand and made use of in all the world’s cuisines.”

Fuller’s favourite side has to do with the allium’s perennial visual appearance in the yard — the last to be planted in the drop and the very first to seem in the spring.

“It’s a calling,” stated Fuller, a UMaine and College of Southern Maine alumnus. “Serving the persons of Maine even though making use of my expertise and expertise has been a aspiration career.”

“Of all the vegetable groups, people are high on tomatoes, but garlic is a total other point. Persons are gaga on garlic.”

For additional information about UMaine, stop by umaine.edu.

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