Where did you get your garlic from?

[gixxerific]

I am getting ready to order some garlic and just wondering where you got yours from.

I had another thread a while back and Pinetree was mentioned but I couldn't find it on there site. I also saw a mention of Territorial seeds but they seem kind of expensive.

I have been on The Garlic Stores website but I thought there were a few other garlic specialty sites. Any one know of them?

I know most seed places sell garlic just wondering where you got yours from, I'm looking for quality and a good price obviously.

Thanks Dono

[lorax]

I bought mine from a really pleasant old grannie at the farmers' market - she had both regular purple and elephant-foot garlic with sprouts on them, so I bought $1 worth (about 10 heads of each), broke them up, and used them for my "seed" garlic this year.

In Canada, I always used to buy my garlic from McFayden - very high-quality plants, very reasonable prices.

I've also had great luck in Canada and the US by purchasing specialty/fancy garlic at the Organic or Gourmet markets - usually this is still alive in the bulbs, and just takes a couple of weeks on the counter to send up shoots.

[gixxerific]

Thanks Lorax for the idea. Maybe I should try the framers market here. I just put in some I got from Lowe's this spring they didn't get very big. I did plant some last fall from the supermarket that started to grow than I kinda dug them up this spring whoops.

Any other ideas?

[TZ -OH6]

I bought mine last year from bloosqualls (Travis Weedman... great name for a farmer) he is a small operator with much better prices than most other places.

[applestar]

I got last year's and am getting this fall's garlic from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

[gaberdeen]

Ordered mine from southern seed exchange although they were sold out on some varieties. Found those I couldn't get from southern seed at terrirorial seed. I can't reply as to quality yet as this is the first time ordering from both.

Good Luck,

Gary

[DoubleDogFarm]

Not to sound like a broken record, I recommend a hardneck variety called Music. I believe they were purchased from Territorial Seed Co. originally. I got my first few from my brother and been carrying over from year to year. They last at least 9 months in proper storage. The following years seeds (cloves) only need to store for 2 1/2 months. I plant in late October, early November.

Looking at Territorial web site, Music is over $20.00 lb after S/H. At our Farmers Market, we sell garlic at $8.00 lb.

Music, gives you good Scapes and good size bulbs.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02300.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02610.jpg[/img]

Eric

[soil]

whenever I see really good garlic anywhere, I buy some to plant in the fall. that includes farmers markets, friends, stores, roadside stands. if its good garlic is good for planting.

[gixxerific]

Thanks all and yes I am keeping Music in mind DDF as well as chesnok red maybe another to be named. I am just looking for a good, cheap place to order from.

Territorial seems rather expensive to me. Where some sites have lbs for $5-6 others have them for $12+. Same stuff just don't want to get pay cheap pries and get cheap quality. Therein lies the problem. Do you pay the difference and get quality or does it matter.

I am into high end audio, and that is definitively one field where paying more gets you more quality, per say.

So any other good sites I can check out? I will be ordering this week after I have shopped it to death. I never buy unaware.

[garden5]

Well, if I do garlic, it will probably be from the store, though this is the least recommended way to get them.

[TZ -OH6]

Sometimes you can find good hardneck garlic in the local stores (found some a couple of weeks ago), but usually it is the stuff from California and China that doesn't taste very good and is not really adapted for northern growing.

After growing hardneck varieties with 5-6 big cloves per bulb I really hate messing with (peeling) varieties that have lots of little cloves.

[gixxerific]

Good info THZ and that is why I will have to research the right kind of garlic for MY area. Like I said I planted some from the store last fall and it started to grow. But as you said it was most likely from California or somewhere not like my climate.

Should I do softneck or hardneck or a mixture. I was thinking mixture myself.

My season runs from roughly late March to somewhere in October (for certain things) It gets cold in the winter and very hot in the summer.

[TZ -OH6]

When I was looking through garlic sites most of them seemed like they would be happy to help you out with what was best for your region. Most are pretty far north but places like Southern Exposure tend to have regional stuff. Some hardnecks (Rocamboles) are more fussy about climate than others.

With hardnecks you get the added crop of scapes, which I love as a substitute for green beans.

Here are some good articles (linked to first)

https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1029/


These guys are in Texas with some good info

https://greyduckgarlic.com/grey_duck_garlic,_llc_003.htm


https://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/overview.htm

[DoubleDogFarm]

gix,

But as you said it was most likely from California or somewhere not like my climate.

What ever garlic variety you go with, I believe will acclimate to your climate. So saving and planting your own cloves would be a good thing. If sometime down the line dease sets in, then start with fresh seed.

Should I do softneck or hardneck or a mixture. I was thinking mixture myself

I don't do a mixture on garlic, but I should. Dease may strike one but not another. I may be without harvest, if I stay monoculture. OK, two varieties this fall

Eric

[gixxerific]

Thanks you guy's I am too busy right now to take all this in but it shall be investigated.

Gardening is a full time job for me. Of course a lot of that is just sitting and watching but that is gardening to me. Gotta go watch my hummingbirds fight some more I will get back to this later.

Again thanks.

Dono

[garden5]

To add to what DD said about planting several varieties for disease hedging, I'd also recommend planting them id different spots. This way, if disease strikes one area, there is less of a risk of it spreading and killing the whole crop.