Planted Garlic Today

Gary350 · Fri Nov 12, 2010 4:16 pm

I copied your example in a raised bed. I have 5 rows of garlic, rows are 5" apart, 15 cloves per row, 75 cloves total. Compose and manure mix covered with 4" of pine needles. Time will tell how well it does.

[img]https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/gary350/100_0660.jpg[/img]

DoubleDogFarm · Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:00 pm

Gary350,

Looks and sounds good. I'm curious, what are the lines in the bed? Irrigation? On the ground next to the raised bed looks like rebar?

Lets compare in the spring and again at harvest.

Eric

Gary350 · Fri Nov 12, 2010 6:35 pm

Those lines are 1/2" rebar. My cats think the soft soil is their cat box so they love to dig there. I put the rebar over the beds spaced about 2 1/2" between each bar it makes it very hard for the cats to dig so they find other places to dig. In the past the cats would always dig up my onions. It is funny cats could dig any place in the garden they like but after I planted the onion it was like a magnet the only place the cats would dig was in the onion patch.

Does the garlic need sun light? In the spring will the tops grow up through the pine needles or should I remove the pine needles in warmer weather?

WOW.........I have a lot of pine needles this year. There is about 4" of needles under all 7 trees about 30 ft wide 90 ft long. Walking on that part of the yard is like walking on a bed mattress.

DoubleDogFarm · Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:41 pm

My garlic is in full sun 6 to 10 hours a day. As days get longer.

What are your current temperatures?

My garlic should push through the hay before the real cold sets in. They may reach about 3" or so, then winter over.

Eric

Gary350 · Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:23 pm

My garlic will have to grow 6 inches to push through the pine needles. I have about 2" of compost then 4" of pine needles maybe I have too much pine needles. The Hard Neck garlic I ordered is tiny no larger than a pea.

It has been in the 70s for close to a week it was 74 degrees F today and 76 deg yesterday. It was 41 last night, 40 tonight and 34 tomorrow night. Forcast is 70s during the day most of next week.

We very often have 60 and 70 deg weather most of December. The past 3 years we had freak cold weather. Year before last 3 weeks in November was 17 degrees at night warmed up to 30s during the day then it warmed up to 70s for December. Last year 2 weeks was 17 degrees in Nov and Dec was nice in the upper 60s and 70s. So far this year 28 deg is the low. Days are short sun is very low 36 degrees off the horizon.

It still has not rained. Forcast was rain Wed but they changed it to Thur then changed it to Fri then forcast was PM rain for Sat now they changed it again slight change if rain probably maybe might rain next Tuesday. Still no rain.

DoubleDogFarm · Sat Nov 13, 2010 11:34 pm

The garlic I ordered was tiny no larger than a pea.

Gary350,

What type of garlic? That seems small. You may have to remove the needles and gradually add them back to your bed, as the garlic grows.

70's is warm. Your garlic will probably fly out of the ground.

Eric

DoubleDogFarm · Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:43 pm

Here is a quick update.

My garlic "Music" is about 3" to 4" above ground. I will add a little more mulch when the leaves unfurl. I never did get a second variety

Gary350,

How is your bed doing? What variety?

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC03105.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC03103.jpg[/img]

Eric

Hydroponics · Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:44 pm

Those look really green and healthy. I bet they will taste awesome, my mouth is watering just thinking about fresh garlic. It is so good, I can eat it plain.

DoubleDogFarm · Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:03 pm

Thanks Hydro,

Here is a pic from last years harvest.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Farmers%20Market%20Produce/DSC02406.jpg[/img]

Eric

DoubleDogFarm · Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:59 pm

Sounds like gixxerific and others garlic are doing well.

Had to go look at mine.

Not as tall as others but doing ok.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC03141.jpg[/img]

Eric

gixxerific · Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:03 pm

Looking good DDF. I will have to check on mine. Today was the first day in forever there hasn't been a ton of snow out there. I actually saw grass today.

I can't wait to see how this goes for me. This is my first real garlic try and I just love garlic like nobody's business.

Thinking about it my garden is still snow packed but the grass areas are starting to melt away. Kind of odd.

Gary350 · Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:46 pm

My garlic is poking up through the pine needles.

[img]https://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/gary350/100_1053.jpg[/img]

[img]https://home.earthlink.net/~gary350/smileys.gif[/img]

DoubleDogFarm · Fri Feb 25, 2011 4:22 pm

Gary350,

Your garlic is do well.

Here is a step I think you should avoid.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC03213.jpg[/img]

Eric

hendi_alex · Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:04 pm

I planted my garlic mostly in two batches, one in mid September and the other in mid October. We have several small garlic beds in various parts of the garden. These photos were just taken, showing two of the beds.

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5476937981_17f1a57901_o.jpg[/img]

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5476938221_0263fba496_o.jpg[/img]

gixxerific · Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:24 pm

mine look the same way DDF.

Alex what is the CRW cages for on the garlic beds?

P.S. Nice to see you around Alex.

DoubleDogFarm · Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:33 pm

Wow! That looks really good.

Eric

hendi_alex · Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:46 pm

In the winter time, when little is planted in the beds, the area becomes our two outdoor cat's favorite bathroom area. I use my tomato cages and some flat pieces to cover the area. This seems to keep the cats at bay. That in turn keeps the two dachshunds and the giant yellow lab from going in behind the cats and destroying the entire bed while looking for and digging for kitty treats.

Later in the summer, with intensive planting, the cats are no longer interested as many other areas in the yard have loose, bare sand. I keep hoping for these two cats to die. I say never again, and after the huge string of bird murders in the past two years, my wife has finally agreed, no more cats. The murderous beasts live to kill anything that moves, and the cats kill it whether they are hungry or not.

alaskagold · Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:55 pm

Would some nice person tell me how your garlic does if you are in a colder climate?

I do not plant it over winter... for obvious reasons.

But if someone else has had success in 4A4B like areas, I would LOVE to know!

FYI... I usually can not "plant" until the middle (half the time 2 weeks later) of May and usually the first real frost is end of Sept. ANY advice would be, well, I may have to kiss and hug you!

hendi_alex · Fri Feb 25, 2011 6:26 pm

It gets hot so quickly here in zone 8 that if you wait to plant in the spring, the bulbs barely form before the plants start to die. I would be surprised if garlic doesn't overwinter well in zone 4, but why not plant a small test patch if you are concerned. Also, if your garlic has a long enough growing season to make good sized bulbs when planted in the spring, then it doesn't matter much that you wait to plant.

alaskagold · Fri Feb 25, 2011 6:40 pm

Hendi, we have excellent growing time for onions, garlic and most "bulbs". I have just been told that due to the way the ground freezes, it may make the bulbs go to mush during our "Break up" season. Break up is our spring, but we go by when the rivers break rather than how much snow isn't on the ground.

I can imagine what zones 8 can grow. Maybe one day I will move to a warmer climate, just not for the next 20 yrs or so.

PBrown · Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:17 am

Nice work with the garlic! For a bit of fun I put in a couple of gloves in the garden bed about a week ago and one was shooting up really nicely.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I re-did my garden bed and as a result I had to move everything in there into pots. I was just wondering if this pot will be big enough for 1 garlic or do I need a bigger pot?

Also I live in Brisbane, Australia in a warm climate so my garlic probably has no chance... right? But it looks healthy at top! (for now)

https://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh5yq3cwvE1qhrg18o1_500.jpg

[img]https://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh5yq3cwvE1qhrg18o1_500.jpg[/img]

hendi_alex · Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:51 am

If the plant doesn't form a nice sized bulb this year, just leave it in the pot or plant it in the ground for the next season. It should size up during the second year's growth, if the growing season ends up being too short this year. Of course you can eat the tops and the small bulbs of immature garlic just a well as you can mature cloves.