Planting Garlic

jal_ut · Sat Nov 13, 2010 1:56 pm

Planted some garlic and Egyptian Onions this morning. The ground was wet and cold, but this may be the best chance I get. Supposed to rain some more tomorrow or Monday. I mulched them with leaves. It was 37 degrees while I was planting. Feels like winter.

jal_ut · Sat Nov 13, 2010 4:02 pm

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onion_eg_2.jpg[/img]
These are what you get when you plant the bulbils. Nice little green onions.
[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onions_eg_4.jpg[/img]

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onions_egyp.jpg[/img]

The mother clump. The bulbils are just starting to form. at the top of each leaf, there will be a cluster of little bulbils which can be planted to get the little green onions. You can use these larger ones too, but I always dedicate a clump for making the bulbils. I can't find a pic of the bulbils, I will have to take a pic.

The woman who gave me the start years ago called them "Forever Onions".

jal_ut · Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:01 pm

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/onion_eg_bb.jpg[/img]
Bulbils. You separate these to plant them.

jal_ut · Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:42 am

I planted some more garlic yesterday. It was German Hardneck. Now I have 3 varieties of hardneck and some elephant garlic. I guess I should plant a bit of softneck? I have plenty from last season, but was not really pleased with it. It was small. Maybe it was the season? Perhaps I will give it another shot.

applestar · Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:07 pm

I'm already running out of garlic from this year's harvest, and I wondered why. Then I realized that in addition to giving my MIL some, I'm pickling and preserving a LOT more, making salsa, etc. and you use a lot of garlic for that.

I hope I planted enough for next year.

rainbowgardener · Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:17 pm

I'm really pleased with how well the garlic I planted seems to be doing--sprouted quickly, nice sturdy stems. I'm going to try planting more in the early spring hoping for a late fall harvest at about the time I will be replanting more. Since I haven't grown garlic before, I'm eagerly awaiting pulling some in late spring to see how it did. It seems easier to grow than onions, which are fussy for me, sometimes don't sprout, sometimes sprout but never make bulbs. I'm good at growing chives though!

Next year lots more!

garden5 · Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:47 pm

Jal, if you left the bulbils instead of harvesting them for green onions, would they turn into adult Egyptian onions and have bulbils of their own?

Also, if you just harvested the tops for green onions and left the bulbs in the ground, would they produce more next year?

It looks like you are going to have a great winter garden.

soil · Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:33 pm

I just planted a few hundred garlic cloves....I'm tired now.

jal those onions look awesome.

jal_ut · Wed Nov 17, 2010 1:22 am

I'm going to try planting more in the early spring hoping for a late fall harvest

My experience with spring planted garlic says spring planted garlic will grow but it is not likely to give you a large multicloved bulb, but will make a round single clove about the size of a walnut. Yes, it will likely be larger than what you planted, and can be eaten or left to grow a large bulb next year.

Jal, if you left the bulbils instead of harvesting them for green onions, would they turn into adult Egyptian onions and have bulbils of their own?

Yes, each bulbil will mature in one season and have bulbils on its leaves.

Also, if you just harvested the tops for green onions and left the bulbs in the ground, would they produce more next year?

Yes, they would grow again.