Since necessity is the mother of all inventions, I was half way there already having the necessity.
Inventing several pieces of equipment to handle different tasks didn’t appeal to me. My farm already had way too many tractor implements scattered around the property, so I was looking at an “all in one” type of implement to handle several tasks.
Since garlic needs to be planted “point” up, eliminating the human factor would be next to impossible and financially out of reach for most farmers to purchase. However, making the job easier for the workers is within reach.
Several tasks take place from start to finish:
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Beds need to be prepared
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Garlic cloves need to be planted
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Garlic Bulbs need to be harvested
Now that doesn’t sound so bad until you spend countless hours on your hands and knees year after year does it?
My thought was to make an implement to handle those tasks. Keep it compact, keep it within reach financially for commercial sales, and eliminate as much of the hands on or knees on the ground work as possible.
I had the name before I had the prototype. I call it “The Garlic Master”
The implement is a category 1, standard 3 point hitch that will also hook up to a quick hitch as pictured. The rear toolbar is not limited to the included attachments, but can
accept any standard 1-1/4" round shank attachment into the wedge clamps. The implement is a 2 seat planter, which when pulled by a tractor punches holes (dry dibble wheel) into the raised beds at a specific spacing pattern. The 2 seats allow the co-workers to set the garlic cloves into the holes and when the undercutter bar is installed opposite its intended purpose it will backfill the cloves.
The raised beds are built by attaching the included disc hillers to the toolbar during bed preparation. At harvest time, the undercutter blade (bed lifter) is attached to the toolbar and is pulled under the raised beds to loosen the soil and bulbs for easy gathering.
For more information visit: www.wisconsingarlicfarm.com (This website is dead. The equipment page, without photos, was archived on the wayback machine on 2013-06-11.)
