HelpfulGardener.com

I pulled out the summer squash from this bed and planted garlic.

Music, a hardneck garlic, does really well here. I may try another variety just for fun.

Here I planted the cloves about 1" deep and about 5 to 6" apart.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/Garlic%20Oct%2030th%202010/DSC02899.jpg[/img]

Next and the first time I've tried this, I broadcast some Maestro shelling peas. This should fix some nitrogen, but probably wont give me any shelled peas.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/Garlic%20Oct%2030th%202010/DSC02901.jpg[/img]

Third, I covered the cloves and seed with sifted soil compost.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/Garlic%20Oct%2030th%202010/DSC02904.jpg[/img]

Lastly, Covered the bed with manure enriched hay from the duck yard enclosure. 2" to 3"
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/Garlic%20Oct%2030th%202010/DSC02906.jpg[/img]

What do you think?
Eric

Wonderful looking soil! And I can see why, looks like excellent soil prep and planning to me.
great work

I need to plant garlic soon! looks like youll have a nice harvest next year.

I had great huge garlic last year, not so great this year. I think they didn't like the competition from pine trees close by, even though I put wood ashes AND dolomite lime on before planting. They need a lot of nutrients to get those nice big bulbs. I grow Russian Red and another kind (unknown variety softneck).

That looks great. Did you use legume inoculant on the peas for nitrogen fixing?

I had about 100 garlic sets to plant but they have fanished. I have looked and looked they are no where to be found. I guess if its not too late I need to order more.

I never have good luck with onions or garlic I am still trying to learn how to grow them.

I usually use inoculant, but in this case I did not. There should be some natural bacteria in the soil.

I had about 100 garlic sets to plant but they have vanished. I have looked and looked they are no where to be found. I guess if its not too late I need to order more.

Probably Gremlins, they keep stealing socks out of my dryer.

I would order ASAP and have them planted soon.

Eric

what did you mean when you said you wouldnt have peas? why? Your soil looks fantastic! I want to see more of your pictures!

what did you mean when you said you wouldnt have peas

Being November and the heavier frost and freezing. I'm treating these peas more like a covercrop. Soil building and nitrogen fixing. Being late, they may not do either.


If you like to riffle through pictures, here you go.

https://s67.photobucket.com/home/eric_wa/allalbums

Eric

So it been about a week. I decided to do a little snooping. Looks like the peas have about a 3" taproot and the garlic is doing fine.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02931.jpg[/img]


Eric

Looking good! I just planted my garlic on saturday. I saw the first greens shooting up today. I had about 10 cloves, we'll see what happens. Can't wait for the pics of your harvest.

DoubleDogFarm wrote:

I had about 100 garlic sets to plant but they have vanished. I have looked and looked they are no where to be found. I guess if its not too late I need to order more.

Probably Gremlins, they keep stealing socks out of my dryer.

Eric

No, not Gremlins. I happen to have inside knowledge that this is the work of an obscure offshoot of the more well known Underpants Gnomes. Their diabolical scheme to corner the underpants market is little understood though it would appear that their business model is in need of a little refinement.
[img]https://api.ning.com/files/d9GfcsBFLCbPLHdMI5AEd-H9D7nfAl6ijVqHKyfAnaoElEipkAeKsQI86XnwXhTm4PZlBcE4qocEhtN3hqCtobt0TguCSXUf/UGnome.jpg[/img]
Socks, Underpants and now Garlic, a coincidence? I think not!

Norm

I thought I heard something about turning the socks to Gold. Is this not correct?

Eric

DoubleDogFarm wrote:I thought I heard something about turning the socks to Gold. Is this not correct?

Eric

I've said too much already. Great job with the Garlic bed.

Norm

Questions?

I am planting garlic and onion just like shown in your photos. I tilled the soil today, made the rows. I will plant garlic and onion when they arrive in the mail.

I don't have any straw but I do have enough pine needles to do what you have done with straw. Do you think pine needles will work?

Is garlic ready to harvest before your spring garden is ready to plant or do you have a dedicated spot for garlic?

Gary350,

Are you sure you want to follow my steps?

It's pretty much a dedicated bed until late July anyway.

Your pine or fir needles should work. I would apply 2 or 3" to suppress the weeds. Needles take months to break down, so they should last until harvest. I probably wouldn't worry about them adding acidity to the soil either.

If your soil runs sour, below ph 6, I would add some lime. Compost is good too.

I don't winter over onions. jal_ut or someone else will have to help with this. I plant onion plants in the spring.

Eric

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]

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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]

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

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]

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.

Wow! That looks really good.


Eric

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.

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!

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.

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.

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]

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.