WeeBee Farms

2025-08-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Garlic report 2025-

Selling at Boulder Farmer's Market through mid-September

The harvest was disappointing this year with both fields being greatly affected by some winter weather events and producing lots of very tiny garlic. (Hot weather followed quickly by extreme cold) We lost almost all of the Inchelium Red and Persian Star garlic, with the exception of tiny garlic or garlic "rounds". Luckily there was also some garlic planted at different times that came out very nice. Some that will be sold and some that will be saved for seed.

We started selling garlic at the Boulder Farmers Market August 9th and will probably be sold out by September 13th or 20th.

Disease. One of our fields had some noticeable damage from garlic stem bloat nematodes, and some bacterial disease as well. Ironically, garlic from that field came out looking decent otherwise. However we don't recommend planting it for seed. Our other field had the most weather damage but no diseased garlic that we found. There is a limited amount of Chesnok Red and German Extra Hardy we can sell from that field that could be planted in a home garden if the hot water soak method is used. (see the instructions under the "pages" section of this site.)

Peppers!

2025-05-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Buy your Pepper Plants June 1st- June 10th!

We recommend planting June 10th

Sweet Peppers • Hot Peppers!

It's finally getting close to time to plant peppers! We will plant ours around June 10th (they can often go in a bit earlier in Boulder). They do NOT like cool ground temperatures! (Peppers don't thrive or produce well if planted too early.) We have gotten a good crop of peppers almost every year for the last 23 years with the late planting strategy. Some will have to be covered when we get the first frost in September or October. Most of the green ones will turn red by September, some in August. We have many kinds of hot and sweet pepper plants including our very favorites that grow well at WeeBee Farms.

Hot Peppers

Early Jalapeno • Anaheim • Serrano • Bulgarian Carrot Chile • Santaka Hot Asian • Shishito

Bulgarian Carrot Chile

One of our favorite hot peppers. It has a pleasant sweet, fruity flavor that complements the heat. A very productive pepper plant that grows only 18” high but may have 40-55 peppers per plant. The peppers are 3” long and good in eggs, salsa, pickling, marinades, hot sauces or for roasting and cooking. Go easy because they are very hot!

5,000–30,000 Scovilles

About 68 days to maturity

Shishito Peppers

Small 2-4”, mild Japanese pepper for roasting, pan-frying and grilling.

Thin walls blister and char easily when roasted or grilled, taking on rich flavor that is delicious with coarse salt and lemon juice. Not hot but the occasional fruit may display heat. Typicallyused green, but eventually turns orange and red with sweeter flavor. Prolific!

2ft high plants may be planted in containers

Days to Maturity: 55-60 days green • from Organic Seed

Sweet Peppers!

Sweet Italians Peppers: Jimmy Nardello • Chervena Chushka • Carmen

Bell: King Crimson (a good bell pepper that produces well and early)

Jimmy Nardello

Jimmy Nardello is a longtime favorite of ours for salads and veggie stir fries- most don't make it into the house because we snack on them in the garden.

walled 6-8" long. Good raw, in stir-fries and fried.

Brought to Connecticut from the village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy in 1887 by Jimmy Nardello’s mother.

Tall plants should be staked.

76 days to maturity (red) • From Organic Seed

Carmen Sweet Italian

In our search for good organic pepper seeds we found this extra sweet one. These large red Italian peppers are super- sweet, and the plants are really productive. Use them for salads, stir-frying, stuffing, roasting and eating fresh off the vine. These are definitely worth growing. They are 5-6" long with thick walls. The plants are leafy which helps prevent sunscald on the peppers as they ripen.

30" high plants need staking.

Days To Maturity- 60 green; 80 red ripe

from Organic Seed

Chervena Chushka

Fabulous Romanian Sweet pepper!

2024-08-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

WE'RE BACK!!

Our first market with garlic is tomorrow August 17th!

We're very excited to be back and will have a good selection of eating garlic, variety bags, and bargain bags. Come see us at the Boulder Farmer's Market.

2024-08-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Our first market with garlic will be

August 17th!

We look forward to seeing you then!!

We have lots of good garlic to sell for eating, and will be at the Boulder Farmers Market on Saturdays until October.

We will not be selling garlic for planting this year due to finding disease in the field we harvested from.

(See July 26th Post below for more details)

Disease update for WeeBee Farms.

2024-07-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Skin Blotch disease
This year we found a lot of abnormal looking garlic in our field and had it tested at Cornell University. The main disease they found is called Skin Blotch. Apparently our moist conditions during the Winter and Spring accelerated the growth of this fungus, which we have had in small amounts in our soil in past years. It is mostly a cosmetic issue on the outside papers and doesn’t affect the eating quality. However we have had to take of more of the outside papers than usual, so our garlic probably won’t store as long as usual.

Here is a link to more info about skin blotch disease:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/page/edit/5695443834704379401/63715374088994246

https://bpp.oregonstate.edu/problems-stored-garlic

Garlic Nematodes
The other disease we have present to a smaller degree is garlic stem bloat nematodes. These can cause deformed garlic and other issues. Generally we can see which bulbs are severely infected and have thrown those out. However the garlic we’re selling this year should not be used for seed planting.

Here is a link to more information about the nematode issue https://www.mofga.org/resources/garlic/garlic-bloat-nematode/

The good news about the garlic that was tested this year is that Cornell found NO evidence of White Rot, which we have had a problem with in the past.

2024-07-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Garlic Update 7/5/24

WeeBee Farms will not be selling any planting garlic this year. We have found significant disease in the field we harvested from, and the garlic is not suitable for planting. We recommend you get your planting garlic from Toohey Farms at the Boulder Farmer's Market or purchase it online.
We will be selling good garlic for eating in August/September at the Boulder Farmer's Market.

Stay tuned for more information.

Garlic Planting- almost finished

2023-11-09T11:15:00.001-08:00

Garlic Planting at WeeBee Farms

We are almost finished with the garlic planting now and the weather made it smooth and easy (with the exception of the 10/29 snow and 5º temperature.

Now it’s time to get them all watered in for the winter. This year we’re watering about 4 hours per area with the overhead oscillating sprinkler.
Wishing the garlics a peaceful winter with no giant temperature fluctuations!

See you next season!!

2023-09-28T19:38:00.002-07:00

Last of WeeBee Farms Garlic for the Season!

September 30th will be our last big day!

We'll have a good selection of garlic including our longest storing, our best cooking garlic and some of our larger garlics for eating or planting.

We'll have a limited selection of garlic left to sell on October 7th.

On the 30th the CU home game starts at 10am, so we recommend coming after 10 when the fans are all in their seats and traffic has died down. Free parking will probably be available at the RTD station at 14th & Walnut as well as under the Chase bank at 13th & Canyon.

2023-09-08T13:31:00.004-07:00

GARLIC UPDATE- Predicted Sell-Out by end of September!
Garlic sales have been really strong so far, and we are predicting to be sold out by September 23rd or 30th, with the selection starting to decrease as of next week.

Come Early or after 10! (CU Game)
We will be at market tomorrow September 9th with a good selection of garlic. Because the CU Home game starts at 10am, the best time to come is early at 8am or between 10 and 12:30.
Parking may be available in the RTD garage (1400 Walnut St)

Or, try parking at the underground garage under the Chase Bank, 1301 Canyon. (Turn North on 13th st, then East into the entrance)

Planting Garlic, 3-Pack

Here is the list of garlics that will be available tomorrow in the regular bins:

• Chesnok Red- Excellent-tasting hard neck, originally from the Republic of Georgia. Earthy lingering flavor with a unique zesty bite. One of the best garlics for roasting and sautéing. Stores to December. Highly Medicinal. PINK

• Korean Red Hot- A treasure from Asia. Eaten raw, robust flavor will wake up your mouth! A superb cooking garlic. Spicy and mellow at first, then with building heat. Will keep until November. ORANGE

• German Extra Hardy- Great sliced raw, addictive garlic taste, with full flavor. Big, easy to peel cloves are perfect for pesto! Excellent in tomato sauce: put in at end of heating. Loses flavor if cooked too long. Will keep to November. BLUE

• Romanian Red - Brought from Romania 100 years ago. Spicy and hot! Big, easy to peel cloves. Use in BBQ sauce, pickles, fresh salsa, marinades. Stores to November. YELLOW

• Inchelium Red- Softneck excellent for roasting. Discovered on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington. One of the best-tasting softnecks with a mild, lingering flavor. Stores til January RED

• Persian Star- Versatile for cooking or raw dishes. Spicy, exotic and very flavorful. Try on salads, in dips or in pesto. Great with green beans and veggies! Originally from Uzbekistan. Stores to December. GREEN

We'll also have a few variety bags, and some Jumbo garlic for planting.

2023-08-04T09:32:00.006-07:00

First Garlic sales this Saturday, August 5th.

We have a few special garlics, and our regular favorites.

The featured garlic is a rare one that was unusually productive this year: Guatemalan

It's my very favorite one for eating on crackers, in hummus and guacamole because it's not hot, but has an abundance of garlic flavor.

Here's a list of what we'll have this Saturday, with the color codes:

• Guatemalan – This rare garlic is the favorite of WeeBee Farms for its superior raw flavor for veggies, hummus and bruschetta. 6-8 gorgeous burgundy cloves. Easy to peel. Stores to October. GREEN

• Amethyst- Gorgeous purple garlic!. A great choice for guacamole and pesto. Slightly spicy flavor mellows just a bit when cooked. Stores through December. PURPLE

• Tzan - (Also called “Mexican Red”). Superb Taste & EASY to Peel! Tangy & flavorful with pasta and for Asian cooking. A delicious raw garlic. Stays firm through November, but sprouts early. NO COLOR

Garlic Harvest 2023

2023-08-01T08:00:00.002-07:00

Harvest started at WeeBee Farms on July 1st and was interupted by rain for a few days.

The very early garlic (Turbans like Tzan, Shantung Purple and Uzbek) were tiny and sparse due to the -21º temp in late December, but all the rest came out fabulous and big because of the wonderful Spring rains.

We look forward to seeing you at the Boulder Farmers Market on Saturdays in August to October!

Harvesting was easier than usual with the moist soil.

"Mr. WeeBee" harvesting garlic

We cure our garlic for 3 weeks before selling for better flavor and long-storage.

Planting garlic from WeeBee Farms

2022-09-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

Can I plant the garlic from WeeBee Farms? Yes- for home gardeners the Garlic that we sell can be used for planting if you do a hot-water soak before you plant. We've been growing garlic since 1996 and have selected the 20 best varieties that grow well at our farm in Boulder County. If you have a sunny spot (directly in the ground) with good water access you will probably succeed.

Read the directions here https://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/p/how-to-plant-garlic.html or click on the Info pages link on the right.

What is "Planting Garlic" vs "Eating Garlic?"- the only difference is size. You want to use the larger cloves from the larger bulbs for planting so that you can grow larger bulbs. Of course you should start with local garlic that is organic and hasn't been treated with anti-sprouting agents or bleached (as grocery store garlic may be).

What is the Garlic Disease at WeeBee Farms?
Over the years we have found a few diseased bulbs in our garlic plots (two diseases: White Rot, and garlic nematodes). Although the diseased bulbs have been thrown out, there is a chance that a trace could be present on the garlic we are selling. These could infect your garden soil (affecting only garlic, onions and other alliums). This doesn’t affect the quality, flavor, health benefits or storage life of the garlic we are selling.

We recommend that you don’t plant garlic from our farm if you grow on a large scale, or plan to sell your garlic. If you do plant it for your home garden you should do a hot-water soak before planting per our instructions. This should eliminate 95% of the disease spores. This hot water soak should actually be done for any garlic that's not grown on your property. After you do this one year, you can replant garlic from your own garden without doing the soak. If you acquire the white rot disease it may take a few years to see noticeable symptoms so it's best to not take the chance and keep your soil clean.

We are working on trying to eliminate or reduce the disease using organic methods, and have had good success in keeping symptoms to a minimum by using the hot-water soak and dipping the cloves in a special fungal powder and mycorrhizae at planting time. In 2019 through 2022 we had no garlic with obvious symptoms of white rot. That doesn't mean it is gone, since the spores persist in the soil for up to 20 years, and symptoms aren't always apparent. We still find some bulbs with garlic nematodes, which isn't as serious, but is definitely something to avoid.

Why plant your own?
It's very fun and satisfying to grow your own garlic! And the garlic tastes WAY better than any you can buy in a store. Once you start growing you will have your own "seed stock" every year so it's very economical. And when you grow your own you'll eat a lot more garlic and enjoy all the health benefits that garlic can bring...

A Good Garlic Season!

2022-08-15T20:28:00.002-07:00

A Good Garlic Season!

All in all the garlic harvest was very good this season, not huge bulbs, but they're nice-looking and decent sized. Not too much disease was evident but there was a little more nematode damage than usual. We are a bit short of Inchelium Red but have good amounts of most other kinds.

Check out our website if you want to order online for market pickup WeeBeeFarms.com

Our first market with garlic was August 6th. We will go to October, but will NOT be at market on August 27th. Can't wait to see you!

Korean Red Hot

This fantastic garlic grew very well this year and we have a lot! Come and try it!

• Korean Red Hot - A culinary treasure from Asia. Eaten raw, robust flavor will wake up your mouth! A superb cooking garlic. Spicy and mellow at first, then with building heat. Will keep until November. If planted, use hot water soak first.

Garlic and Plant Report

2022-06-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

We had a great plant season this Spring and won't be back to market until August 6th with garlic.

Plants for your garden

If you still have room in your garden for some plants to plant when it cools down later this week we have some left to sell if you can pick up from the farm on Wednesday. Cucumbers, zucchini and lots of flowers. Check out the website to see what we have. Weebeefarms.com

Garlic scapes available

Scapes are ready, and were sold at market on Saturday, and are now available at farm pick-up only through our website.

Garlic

The garlic looks great with the exception of Inchelium Red. For those who are asking about watering the garlic the answer is YES! Water well now. And up to 3-4 days before harvest.

Come to the Boulder Farmer's Market for garlic August 6th through October 22nd.

Big Garlic! Last market...

2021-10-22T06:50:00.001-07:00

We have lots of big garlic left- Chesnok Red and Inchelium Red. These big ones are good for planting or eating and will keep til December or January. You can buy them separately or bagged up with planting instructions. We also have quite a few bargain bags and "stock-up" bags to keep you in garlic for the winter...

Come get the last of the garlic on Saturday the 23rd at our last market for the season.

Thank you for a great season!!

Last Call for Garlic! Oct 9th and Oct 23rd.

2021-10-08T19:33:00.005-07:00

Two more markets for WeeBee Farms Garlic!

We'll be at Boulder Market Oct. 9th and Sat. Oct. 23rd. (We won't be at market Oct 16th).

Photo by Louis Krupp

We still have lots of Inchelium Red & Chesnok Red as well as a few other kinds. And Jumbo garlic for eating or planting. Come and get it!

Visit weebeefarms.com to check availability or to pre-order

Garlic in Boulder! Garlic in Longmont

2021-09-24T09:35:00.003-07:00

Garlic for Eating! Garlic for Planting*!

It’s been quite a garlic season. We’ve had an abundance of garlic for 7 weeks and will have another big Market Day tomorrow. We’ll be in Boulder as usual (until October 9th). And thanks to my trusty helper Georgia -we’ll be in Longmont too on Sept 25th.

We have about 10 different types to choose from, including our famous variety bags (pictured) with 5 or 8 varieties, color-coded and with helpful info. We also have “planting” variety bags with extra-large garlic and instructions on how to plant. *A hot water soak is recommended. This is probably the peak of garlic availability so come on by before our supplies dwindle. October 2nd will be another big Market day too.

For planting instructions see our info pages on this page (top right area) https://weebeefarms.blogspot.com/p/how-to-plant-garlic.html

Garlic coming August 7th to Market!

2021-07-27T14:19:00.003-07:00

August 7th will be the first garlic sales date at Boulder Farmer's Market.

I can't wait to see you there!

We have a LOT of garlic this year. The first market will feature German Extra Hardy, Chesnok Red, Inchelium Red and a few surprises....

-Karen

How to clean and "cure" your garlic after harvest

2021-07-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

After digging/pulling the garlic at WeeBee Farms

At the time I pull garlic I shake the extra soil off of each bulb by "whapping" the bulb on my palm. With big clods of soil I give the clod a little twist and then shake it or whap it. I don't use water to wash the dirt off the garlic as it could affect the curing process and storage life. Some people do wash their garlic, however, especially if they plan to sell or eat it right away.

After pulling and doing the rough cleaning I lay my garlic on racks to dry, giving them plenty of space at first, then condensing them into piles after a week or so. I give the garlic 3 weeks to fully dry, with the roots and stems on. They plump up while curing as the stems dry. It's fun to see the garlic get bigger!

Some of the 2021 Harvest drying in the barn

Here is a link to a video of me cleaning garlic after 3 weeks of curing. WeeBee Farms garlic cleaning

The bulbs weren't too dirty and were very dry in this video so it was pretty easy. Some garlic comes out much dirtier and can take more time to clean, but usually the outside layer of skin can be rubbed off with a little effort. Try not to take of more than one layer of skin.

Here's a link to a youtube video put out by a guy named Ned Cooke about his method of garlic cleaning: "How to Clean Harvested Garlic After Drying" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHaYI8RDgs

Time to Harvest Your Garlic?

2021-07-06T15:30:00.025-07:00

Here at WeeBee Farms the garlic is late due to a cooler than usual Late Winter and Spring. July 1st is usually the magic day, but not this year. As of July 5th we have just picked the softnecks, and a couple other types, but a lot of it won't be harvested til July 10th or later.

So how can you tell when it's ready?

The general rule of thumb is to pick when half the leaves are brown, but 40% brown is actually ideal, for longer storage of your garlic. (Each leaf represents one layer of wrapper on the bulb). The trick is to make sure to count the leaves at the bottom that have already dried up and may have fallen off.

3 brown leaves at the bottom

See the photo of this garlic with 3 dried up leaves at the bottom.

Smaller garlic dries up faster so gets picked earlier. If yours is still all green and has big thick stems, it may turn out to be huge! We have some huge garlic here too.

You may gain a bit more size by leaving your garlic in the ground longer, but I've found that it also gains considerable size on the drying racks if you leave the stems on while they dry.

If you leave it in the ground too long the wrappers will deteriorate and your garlic won't store long and may start to spread open.

Picked these softnecks already

Softneck garlics will start to fall over if you wait too long, so I pick those earlier. This Inchelium Red softneck is long-storing and I want to keep it that way! I picked it with 3 brown leaves, 2 yellow leaves and 4 green leaves.

Watering before harvest- We generally don't water much in the week before harvest so the soil won't be too wet. If the soil is very hard and dry we water lightly a couple of days before harvest unless significant rain is predicted.

A special note- the "Turban" garlics mature 2-3 weeks earlier and were fully ripe and harvested on June 16th.

All in all it is a fantastic garlic year at WeeBee Farms, and we are SO grateful. We will be back at the Boulder Farmers Markt selling garlic soon. And we'll be in Longmont in September for a market too, so Stay Tuned!

To be picked tomorrow

Garlic Crop Report/ Scapes are here!

2021-06-11T11:51:00.003-07:00

Our garlic crop looks fabulous this year! It's nice to have a "good" year after several challenging years.

Our first Garlic scapes - aka "Curlies" have just been picked this morning. Come and get 'em at the Boulder Farmers Market on Saturdays (starting 6/12) or order some online at weebeefarms.com

We'll have bulk bags for $10, or small bundles for a few dollars. Bring your own bag and we'll give you extra...

They'll be at market until June 26th - then gone til next season.

Flowers for butterflies, bees and other pollinators! Monarchs at WeeBee Farms.

2021-06-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Last summer we saw Monarch butterflies dozens of times- mostly on the Tithonia (Torch Flower/ "Mexican Sunflower") They breed on our abundant milkweed and then collect pollen and nectar from several different flowers with the Tithonia being their favorite. They're not common to see in Colorado and we haven't seen many over the years but we see more and more each year here at the farm.

Tithonia gets to be about 5ft tall and 3ft wide and grows in full sun. They are the plant on our farm that attracts the most pollinators of all. Especially bumblebees, butterflies and honeybees. If you have a spot- come and get some at market this Saturday or next.

We specialize in flowers for pollinators and have a great selection at this time of year. These are all grown without any chemicals (NO neonicitinoids) to be safe for our bees and yours. We use above and beyond organic methods (see our blurb at the bottom of the blog)

Happy Gardening!!

To see full descriptions of all our flowers or to purchase them online visit weebeefarms.com

Pepper Time!

2021-05-27T21:30:00.015-07:00

Pepper time! We plant ours June 10th, and Boulderites can aim for June 1-10 for a successful crop. You can come to the Boulder Farmers Market for healthy pepper plants on Saturday the 29th and Saturday June 5th. Or pick up at the farm on Wednesday June 2nd, 1pm-3pm by ordering online at weebeefarms.com

Here are some pepper descriptions:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/page Peppers/

Mother's Day Weekend - Time to pick up a Salad Bowl planter for Mom

2021-05-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

Salad Bowls for Mom!!

This weekend is Mother's Day weekend, and we will have lots of salad bowls to choose from. Moms have been admiring them for a month now- and would love to have one of their own!

We have two sizes. The 18" bowl is our standard and is easy to care for with plenty of room for all the lettuces and other goodies. The 15" bowl is much easier to carry!

Salad bowls are a way to have homegrown salads with a mini-garden on the deck or patio. They are filled with lettuces and other cool-weather greens that have been hardened off and are ready to keep outside. Usually you will harvest a salad a week, or more, by picking off the outside large leaves, and leaving at least half the plant. Most of the greens will be done by the first of July when it's too hot for them to survive.

Care of your salad bowl: Keep in a cool spot if possible. They love sun when it's cool, but it helps to move them into the shade when the weather is hot. They can survive temps down to 10º.
A half day of sun will keep them growing well and full shade is OK when it turns hot. Water your salad bowl well with deep soakings. Fertilize with an organic liquid fertilizer.
After your bowl is finished you can plant some hot weather plants in it and then use it the bowl again for a few years. If you have chives in the bowl replant these to the garden and they will live for many years. The bowl is reusable and will last for a few years if you empty it for the winter.
Plants in the bowl:
Lettuce- just water well and pick the big leaves
Mustard- pick often, it gets big and the leaves get too hot after a whileArugula or Cilantro pick often, these go to flower quickly, and cutting often will prolong their life
Onions- Purple Bunching Onions. These are scallions. You can use the greens or wait a while and pull up the whole little scallion one by one or all at once.
Baby Carrots- harvest later in the summer

Baby Bok Choy- harvest in late May or early June before it starts to flower

It's time for Spring Plants again!

2021-04-07T20:17:00.003-07:00

Our first week at Boulder Farmer's Market is coming up on Saturday, April 24th

Come get your lettuce and kale starts, peas, bok choy, arugula, onions, salad bowls, flowers for pollinators and more...

Come on by to the market, or order from our website WeeBeeFarms.com to pick up at market or at the farm.

Things will look a little more "normal" at market- can't wait to see you there!

Kale & Lettuce in the greenhouse

Mustard and Arugula starts