The status of Garlic in Spring - What should it look like?

[wisconsindead]

Hey all,

I got a little burned out last year. As part of being burned out from gardneing, I ended up planting my garlic a few weeks late.

In 2016 I planted them on October 15
In 2017 I planted them on November 4

I guess it isn't really that big of a difference, but I think we had a colder fall and thus we didn't get the period of growth that we did in 2016. For example, I had seen roughly 50% of the garlic sprout above by November 4, 2016 (per my notes). Whereas I can essentially see nothing right now.

So has anyone gone through something similar? Can you tell me if my garlic looks far too small for this time of the year (it essentially looks unchanged as a clove).

Cheers

[rainbowgardener]

You are in zone 5 and I am in zone 7, so there would be a difference in how far along our garlic would be in any case.

But yes, I have also grown garlic in zone 6. I would expect it to be considerably better developed by now.

It is way too wet for me to be able to get out there and get a picture of my garlic right now, but it is looking about like this:

[applestar]

This is actually a tough one to answer because there are so many factors. Zone 5b would mean you could expect temperatures down to -teens as lowest temp. So you would not expect any kind of garlic growth during winter until temps range up into the 20’s low and 40’s high. In the fall, if you were late in planting and the ground froze early, then the garlic cloves may or may not have had the chance to set down roots, let alone venture to make any top growth. But more relevant is your last average frost.

So it’s not surprising to me that some of the cloves look barely growing at this point.

I WAS surprised to see your photos — the ground looks pretty dry. You must have prepped the area well or picked a particularly good location. Rainbowgardener mentioned the ground being wet — maybe hers is due to rain. Mine is still sopping wet as much from the thaw as the recent rain. I pulled the mulch away from my garlic bed last weekend I think. I can see them from my window and the tallest of them look about 4-6” I did plant “late” as well, but my last average frost is end of April, and I normally wouldn’t harvest garlic until July. Only one variety -turban type which is more suited to the south- matures a little earlier in mid-late June.

[gumbo2176]

I'm in zone 9 and my garlic is between 24-30" tall right now and wasn't really hurt with the 3-4 days of well below freezing weather we had earlier this year. I won't even think about pulling it until the last week of June or later, depending on the scapes.

[wisconsindead]

Thanks for your input guys.

The ground is only dry for the top ~3 mm/crust. The rest is still moist. Additionally, this area drains well. But in general it is plenty moist.

Rainbowgardener, when do you harvest your garlic?

I came across this article from the mid 20th century that answers most of my questions well. It is an interesting read if anyone is interesting in the development/growth habit of garlic throughout the season.

https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/uplo ... riment.pdf

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, rain!! My backyard is now a swamp and we are supposed to get three more inches of rain TONIGHT. I'm starting to worry about everything drowning out there. I'm hoping that having them mulched and in raised beds help.

I would usually be harvesting garlic in June, though it varies and to a certain extent you can leave it in the ground until you need it.

I have some well sprouted garlic cloves that I am thinking about planting now (or when everything dries out a bit), just to see what happens. I don't know if it will withstand the heat of summer....

[Gary350]

I think your garlic will do good. All you can do is wait an see what your garlic does. When weather gets warm enough it should start growing better and you should have garlic bulbs in a month or so. Don't leave garlic in the soil too long after it is ready to harvest the bulbs fall apart an you will have a hand full of cloves.

This year put your seed garlic in the refrigerator 3 whole months before you intend to plant it. Plant some of your garlic every 2 weeks you should learn the sooner you plant it the better it does. This year I planted garlic Sept 15, Oct 1, Oct 15. The Sept 15 garlic is doing the best, Oct 15 garlic looks like your garlic it should start growing when weather gets warmer. A few years ago I planted garlic July 1st under the bushes next to the house it got early morning sun until 10 am then full shade until dark every day. I harvested it in Sept best garlic I ever grew. LOL.

[jal_ut]

I plant garlic. I always say, save your biggest and best cloves for planting. I plant in the fall after we get our killing frost. Separate the bulbs and plant individual cloves one about every 5 inches in the row. I do not usually see any growth till spring. Full sun and fertilize well. Have fun!