Hi all, finally got my computer fixed, it's lonely out here in the boonies. 17 miles of dirt roads to get to a small town(Chipley). Well anyway got 10 pounds of elephant garlic in a barter yesterday and I wondered if anyone has tried growing it? Any ideas would be welcome! Now a question for Jump off Joe; I read in another forum about shear braces for homes built on stilts. We moved here three years ago and built a 16 ft by 24 ft house on stilts. Ten foot 6x6's five feet in the ground so the house is five feet off the ground,the 6x6's are 8 feet apart and tied together with 2x6's and everything is tied together with hurricane clips. Now the question,do I need shear braces and what exactly are shear braces? Thanks, Daryll

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001

Answers

Daryll, I'm no engineer, but can give you my opinion. The six by sixes being five feet in the ground will resist a certain amount of wind force, simply because they are buried. In other words, for hte house to be blown over (because of insufficiency of the six by sixes) would require that the six by sixes either break from the wind force against the house, or be pushed against by this force so hard that the poles lay down (this latter ceratinly seems unlikely to me, as long as the poles don't get rotten. You say the 6x6's are "tied together with 2x6's". These might be the shear braces. If so, they would be attached (strongly) and run from the BOTTOM of one 6x6 to the TOP of another (usually the adjacent one, but not necessarily. These would typically be installed on all corners of the house, and in your area, probably between all the posts under the house, due to the likelihood of hurricane force winds.

Presumably you also have provisions for shear forces in the house itself as well. These are either wood angle braces within the walls, steel straps angled within the walls, and/or well nailed plywood or similar wall sheeting and roof sheeting.

Hope that helps.

JOJ

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001

Thanks Joe, That's what I needed to know. I already have shear braces, just didn't know thats what they were called. One less thing to worry about. :>) Daryll

-- Anonymous, August 02, 2001

hi Daryll, I have elephant garlic in my garden. I posted on here awhile back because I didn't know what kind it was. I like to get mine established in a place where I can leave it from year to year. As with regular garlic plant it in the late fall in good rich dirt. Scroll down to garlic??? and that post should give you some information. Good luck Sherry

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Hi Sherry, I guess I should have made myself plainer. I have raised elephant garlic for three years, but this is huge. Twice the size of my garlic and I thought mine was huge. I use rabbit manure straight and composted chicken manure, no chemicals,trying to be organic. The fellow I got it from got it from a farmer in southern Alabama and has no idea how it was grown. Some of these cloves weigh 4 and 5 onces each. Maybe they need something other than what I've been giving them or maybe they are a different variety. I'm going to use them as seed because we don't want to eat them( not knowing if they were treated with chemicals etc.)Any ideas,Thanks ,Daryll

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Ha ha! Maybe they're "blue whale garlic"! Or alien garlic?

Sorry, Darryl, I have nothing constructive to add -- just my smart aleck comments!

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Mammoth elephant garlic. I want to get some garlic going in my garden THIS fall for sure! Garlic is soooo good for you. I've taken it along time for the immune system. You get like no colds even.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Hi Joy f,I needed a laugh it's so hot here I'm hiding in the house under my big box fan waiting for the rain to come and cool it off to 90 degrees. At least everything is growing like a weed except the weeds,they are growing like Jacks beanstalk. Think I'll have a cold beer and do a rain dance, Take care, Daryll

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Daryll..............Get with the BTS program...that should be a glass of pea pod wine and then run naked around the garden :>)

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Yes, NAKED rain dances are more effective! Speaking of which, I think Jim must be dancing up a storm on this sabbatical -- a big storm moved in from Minnesota Wednesday evening. We got 4" in 24 hours. Sploosh!

-- Anonymous, August 03, 2001

Hm...since you live in NW Florida, but don't know exactly where it came from, perhaps it was grown with elephant manure from Ringling Brothers. THey give it away free every year. I've heard reports of startling results in the garden using it....perhaps that would explain the Jumbo garlic! (I'm only half way kidding here.)

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001