Anyone have garlic going?

gixxerific · Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:46 pm

Garlic is the only I have thing I have growing so far. I put them in last fall. I bought a lb. each of Chesnok Red and Music. I can't wait this is the first time I have done it right and put it in during the fall. They are nestled under about a foot of ornamental grass I didn't have hay to cover them so why not all my ornamental grasses. I planted some garlic last spring and they never got much of anything.

Hoping for the best I should have a ton of garlic if all goes well. I believe the Cheznok Red had smaller cloves so there will be more of that. I think it is 5 rows 15 foot long so there should be plenty to eat and to save for next year. At least that is the plan.

applestar · Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:01 pm

My garlic are under a foot to 18" of snow!

The heavy mulch will protect them during the winter. Be sure to start checking once things start to thaw, and start lightening the mulch if you see signs of growth so they can grow unobstructed but still remain protected.

As it happens, I also stuck a couple of sprouted cloves in an indoor container today. I'm always torn when I see a sprouted garlic, so this time, I planted a tiny whole one and a large one after slicing off around the perimeter, which was just enough for my EVOO and butter sauteed shrimp with garlic and one of my red ripe indoor jalapenos (oh, and India Gold snowpeas from the freezer)

-- I really should be putting this bit in "What Did You Eat...?" thread

DoubleDogFarm · Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:55 pm

Gix,

Good for you. Have you done any snooping? Should have a good root structure by now.

I've notice with Music, if you plant the small cloves, you will harvest a single clove bulb. Not segmented like you get from the large cloves.

I updated my garlic planting post in Organic gardening. If you would like to see go there.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30824

Eric

gixxerific · Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:24 pm

No snooping yet, I am with Apple and all the snow with a whole lot more to come this week.

soil · Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:59 pm

we planted over 700 garlic cloves this year, 10 heirloom varieties. and I also started some from garlic seed, cute little things they are.

gumbo2176 · Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:52 am

I've had some in the ground since October. I only put in about 100 or so in my new raised bed. They seem to be doing fine but I haven't peeked yet to see what kind of root or bulb development is going on. I also have about 100 onion sets planted in the same box. If the garlic does well this year, I'll grow more next year since I use it just about every day when cooking.

rainbowgardener · Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:12 am

I also have fall planted garlic out there (hopefully still there) under snow with more to come this week. Have not tried to peek at it. I'll just have to wait until everything finally melts. We have had snow cover almost continuously since early December, very rare for here.

gumbo2176 · Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:51 am

rainbowgardener wrote: We have had snow cover almost continuously since early December, very rare for here.

Where's Global Warming when you really need it!!

gixxerific · Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:08 am

I did peek under the grass yesterday and it is coming up. But I can't uncover yet it is going to snow like mad here and the temps are still too cold to uncover.

Canadian Farmer Guy · Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:12 am

Planted mine last November.
It's under 6'' of snow, and the ground is frozen solid.
(it's -20 C right now)

CFG

sheeshshe · Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:22 am

mine is buried under snow too! I can't wait till everything thaws out! I'm getting sooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ruggr10 · Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:24 am

This year is my first attempt at growing garlic.

I tried about 20 in a raised bed.

I can't check them since it was 7 degrees when I woke up and there's almost 3 feet of snow in my backyard and more coming on Wednesday!!

cherishedtiger · Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:21 pm

Got mine in last fall, have green shoots coming up, but they have pretty much stayed at about 6" at the most high.... they all look like they are doing well... I need to mulch around them some more, supposed to get a cold snap coming in the evenings.
When does everyone typically start harvesting their garlic? This is my first time planting and I don't want to get too excited and harvest too early.

garden5 · Mon Jan 31, 2011 1:25 pm

Embarrassingly enough, I never got around to it....for the second year in a row! I put it off and then it snowed

. Oh well, I'll have to just plan for next year.

At least I can read about all of your garlic

:.

What time of year do you all harvest your garlic and how do you store it?

gixxerific · Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:12 pm

This is my first fall planting but I believe that July - August is the time for harvest. You should pick when 1/3 of the leaves have turned brown, just like onions G5.

jal_ut · Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:32 pm

I harvest garlic about mid August. It then has to be dried for a time so it will store good. I just store it in a cardboard box in the garage.

Spring planted garlic will give you a good sized round. It will be larger than the clove you planted. You are not likely to get a multi-cloved bulb.
Try a few in the spring just for the heck of it.

gixxerific · Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:10 pm

I did some spring garlic last year and though it wasn't what I wanted it was still good. Just not very big.

sprout · Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:20 am

I planted mine late October. It is all 3-8 inches tall now depending on the variety. One variety has strange low, curled leaves. I do not know which variety is where since the kids pulled out all my plant markers.

Gary350 · Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:38 pm

I planted 100 garlic sets in early October and covered them with 2" of compose and 8" of pine needles. I noticed today the garlic plants are sticking up above the pine needles about 2".

applestar · Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:56 pm

gixxerific wrote:They are nestled under about a foot of ornamental grass I didn't have hay to cover them so why not all my ornamental grasses.

I was out getting (seed starting

) supplies and drove past a quite a few residences and businesses with really tall/big clumps of ornamental grasses that had not been cut down, reminding me of this thread and Gixx's comment.

GOOD THINKING ON YOUR PART

I really think that, listening to marketing hype all our lives, we're brainwashed into thinking we have to PURCHASE specific items/products marketed for narrowly defined purposes/uses AND are brainwashed into thinking we MUST to throw away things that -- given half a chance to do some creative thinking -- everyone should realize they could be USED for the same purposes.

gixxerific · Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:43 pm

So true Apple. Marketing hype is not part of my vocabulary.

I like you and many others on here do what we can with what we have. Maybe cause we are cheap or broke or maybe just why not. I can build just about anything with nothing, kind of a saying around our job. "We have done so much for so long with so little that we can now do anything with nothing"

Take for example my seed starting area it is built from scavenged wood from a job site. The lights used to be in my garage (well most of them) the tomato containers I found in a dumpster ( I have tons more I got for free from local nursery's). The mix I used is mostly opened bags that they sell for nothing. The water comes from used milk bottles. You just have to open your eyes to what is around you and make it work for you. That in my mind is a job well done. It comes from the heart and that is the best job there is, something you create yourself.

GardenRN · Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:59 pm

Gix, this is the first year I did it right as well. All of my garlic is sticking up about 4 inches above the ground. (Planted last Nov.) They look a little bit sad, I never put hay or ANYTHING over them and they got snowed on and everything so I hope they're ok. I did minimal snooping and when I dug down enough to uncover the bulb the root structure was deep enough that even with the entire bulb uncovered it wasn't going to pull out with any little tug. So I just decided to cover it back up and leave it alone.

As for little bit of yellowing in spots on some of the leaves, I think it's just from some cold and dampness. But since they have made it through the toughest part of winter, I figure I'll just leave them alone. Especially since this entire week is supposed to be in the 50's and 60's and up to 71 degrees on Friday!!

gixxerific · Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:21 pm

From what I know the reason for covering garlic is to protect the roots from the freeze thaw cycle in spring for the most part. The idea being that the heaving of that action could separate the bulb from the roots and kill the plant.

Father's Daughter · Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:19 am

Newcomer here with a garlic bed. This will be my second year growing it and Ihave about 120 bulbs wintering over -- German White and Music. Last year I planted about the same number and harvested at the end of July. What wasn't used for seed stock for this year (or given away to family) has been happy closed up in a couple of heavy paper bags in the back of the veggie drawer set to low humidity. There are only two of us, so it will last at least through the middle of summer.

While I can't wait to harvest this year's crop, I think I'm looking forward to scape season more than anything. I'm down to my last two containers of scape pesto!