So...in the past I've always stuck sprouting heads of garlic that were no longer good for use in the kitchen. I'd let 'em grow a while and then harvest and use them. Anyway...I put some in a container a couple months ago. Recently, the green parts have withered with the arrival of sub freezing weather. Should I harvest and use the bulbs now, or leave them in the dirt their containers and let them come back in the spring?
Also, is there something to be concerned about with home grown garlic? I think I've read something somewhere about botulism? Whats the deal with that?
I grow my garlic in a large raised bed, leave it to over-winter and harvest it in the early summer. Now, my winters aren't near as harsh as yours and we seldom see below freezing weather, and if it does freeze, it only lasts for a couple days at most.
Seeing as yours is in a pot, I'd be concerned about the actual bulb freezing if the pot isn't large enough to ward off the below freezing temperatures. Once the bulb freezes, it's all over for the plant as it turns to mush.
Seeing as yours is in a pot, I'd be concerned about the actual bulb freezing if the pot isn't large enough to ward off the below freezing temperatures. Once the bulb freezes, it's all over for the plant as it turns to mush.