Garlic Harvesting--Spanish Roja

[6sparkpug6]

Hello everyone! I have a question regarding my garlic. I am not exactly sure when to harvest the garlic. It has fallen over (maybe due to a heavy rain we had a few weeks ago). There is only one brown leaf, so I don't know if I should pull them up yet. I tested two and they are pretty small.

We planted them last fall.

Can anyone help me with my garlic?

Thank you in advance.

(I will try to upload pictures...not sure if this will work)

[Gary350]

Don't harvest them until they are completely dried up, turned brown and look dead.

[rainbowgardener]

agreed. I would give them as much time as you can. I'm not surprised if the heads are small, the whole plants are looking kind of small and spindly to me. I don't know if it is just a different variety than I am used to...

I am used to seeing garlic that is stocky with big leaves:


http://www.gardenbetty.com/wp-content/u ... -09-02.jpg

[Ohio Tiller]

If I were you I would pull one just to see if they are worth waiting on, they do look very small when did you plant them?

[Lindsaylew82]

RG, are those yours? Do you plant in the fall or the spring?

[applestar]

6sparkplug6 I think they are not getting enough sun.

I've tried growing garlic in different areas of my garden to establish minimum sun requirement, and they have not done well where they only get 1/2 day sun or less. Also, I have come to realize that because they are in the ground from previous fall until summer it's also critical to make note of fall through spring sun exposures which can be significantly affected by the short days (sun rises and sets north of east and west) and the lower angle in the sky, and what trees and buildings block the sun and cast shadows. -- my entire back yard doesn't get any direct sun at all during the winter months.

in addition to the summer months, garlic seem to want to be planted where they get full sun during fall and spring while they are in active growth. They grow well where tomatoes perform well in summer.

[rainbowgardener]

RG, are those yours? Do you plant in the fall or the spring?

Not mine, just a pic I found on the internet, but mine look pretty similar. I plant in the fall, early to mid Oct.

I started with just cloves from garlic I bought at the grocery store, so I don't know the variety. For the past couple years, I have been using my own home grown garlic as starters for the next year's crop.

[6sparkpug6]

If I were you I would pull one just to see if they are worth waiting on, they do look very small when did you plant them?

Last Fall- around late september early october I believe

6sparkplug6 I think they are not getting enough sun.

I've tried growing garlic in different areas of my garden to establish minimum sun requirement, and they have not done well where they only get 1/2 day sun or less.
in addition to the summer months, garlic seem to want to be planted where they get full sun during fall and spring while they are in active growth. They grow well where tomatoes perform well in summer.

That is a good point applestar. Unfortunately, we don't have many sunny spots in our yard, but we can try some in different areas next year.

I don't know how big these get... I found this picture on the internet and mine are about the same size





Here are the instructions on the package



This is how big my cloves were when I planted them and here is the big clove that I dug out of the pack.





Thank you!

[6sparkpug6]

RG, I might try a different type next year. I would love to get ones that look like that!


Does anybody have any good suggestions?