My Garlic

[kokopelli5A]

I just stuck some organic garlic cloves I got from Trader Joes under the mulch around my peach tree. They came up. I read that the bottom of the stem has to turn brown, before I harvest, but otherwise I have absolutely no idea how or what to expect.

If Amadio is harvesting now, that probably means another two months, for me.

[Drew51]

I plant my garlic in October and harvest at the end of July. Mine have been in the ground since October 15th. I usually harvest when about 1/3 of the leaves die back. I stop watering 3 weeks or so beforehand too.

[tomIL]

Plant it, wait, pick it

I don’t think I’m that green-thumbed with garlics. I’ve tried for the past 3 years, planted many in Sept/Oct timeframe and by spring, some sprouted but mushed out 99.9% of what I’ve put in!

The Garlic Gods did not like me very much!

[Drew51]

Interesting Tom, try planting later, October 25th or so. In a different location. What varieties? Maybe try others. I found the hardnecks work best. But some softnecks do well too. Mushed out? What do you mean? Rotted?
Try Killarney Red, does good in wet conditions. I grow this one and it is a fantastic garlic. I will always grow it.

[tomIL]

Drew,

I have no idea what variety since I bought whatever was sold in a local Italian grocery store. I think I chose bulbs with a hard stem in the middle, split and planted them out on raised bed.

In every spring, some started to pop up for a few inches but rotted away. This year, that same thing happened. I have only 1 out of 40-50 seeds grow up fully leaf out! I’m about to give up with the Garlic Gods!

Years before, I planted them in October but thinking I did not give them enough time to establish so last year, I planted them in mid September, way before any frost arrived. They greened up nicely but the result of this spring is the same. That was sad!

I’ll take a picture of my lone survivor and post it up sometime today.

[Drew51]

My first guess is whatever you’re planting is just not suited to grow in your area. Buy some known garlic seed. If those fail, OK, I would give up. If they succeed every year save the best for seed, and you will have a strain adapted to your area. Garlic seems to adjust quickly. Keeping the biggest and best results in a very well suited strain for your area. At least that is the theory! All my seed was grown here last year. So far so good. the garlic looks bigger this year.

[marknmt]

I’ve grown garlic of unknown varieties for years and I think my only failures have been from freezing out. I probably plant it deeper than most people do, and then cover it with a decent layer of compost, so it’s probably three or four inches deep.

I do think that it adapts to your conditions.

[Chikn]

I’ve grown a variety called Music for 3 yrs now. Very large, spicy, great keeper, and very cold tolerant. I plant garlic in late Oct and cover with 4" of clean straw.

[marknmt]

Chikn, I just planted Music last fall after a friend gave me some. I’m looking forward to trying it in a few weeks.

[tomIL]

Here’s my pathetic lone survivor garlic! I probably should save it for this autumn planting. It’s the strongest of the bunch…

[marknmt]

Beautiful greens! And yes, save your survivor for planting.

FWIW, since garlic does not do well when crowded I lay out my garlic bed by raking it smooth and then imprinting rings throughout with a six to eight inch can or pot, staggering the rows That lays out the grid and I just jam the cloves down in the middle of each ring. Finish with a good layer of mulch or compost, weed once or twice in the spring, and wait until harvest. Keep well watered until the last few weeks. In other words, pretty much what everybody else was saying …

[Chikn]

We are still using garlic from last summer, Music. Really strong grower for me. Territorial Seeds have been awesome w/ good selection of varieties when it comes to garlic.

[Drew51]

Music is one of the better ones. Problem is about 50 others are top rate too! I kinda want to try others, but what i grow works well, and I don’t have the room. I’m growing a Wisconsin heirloom that is not for sale but originates with a farmer who grew it for 30 years and always planted the best of his crop. It is a hardneck, and has the biggest bulbs I ever saw. I have not grown all that many though. Anyways I have to keep it going as it is quite rare. Here they are. The right side has Killarney Red, right on the end. They are more fan-like, with closer leaves, and not as tall. Beautiful garlic too!

I have 2 beds like this and one longer bed with softnecks. About 40 garlic, all I have room for. They will not last long at all! I consume garlic almost daily,

[danzeb]

I don’t think I’m that green-thumbed with garlics. I’ve tried for the past 3 years, planted many in Sept/Oct timeframe and by spring, some sprouted but mushed out 99.9% of what I’ve put in!

Perhaps the variety planted is not cold hardy enough or ground is too wet.
I plant in October and it sprouts in a few weeks before the ground freezes. Grocery store garlic may be treated to prevent sprouting.

[MuddyMess_8a]

Grocery store garlic may be treated to prevent sprouting.

Do they have a way to do that with alliums?

[HollyGates]

I also grow a small amount of garlic; it is one of the easiest and most successful plants in my garden. I had poor results with a couple softneck varieties, but then my mom sent me a few heads of the hardneck she has been growing in Oregon for years (Music) and that has been super from the first season. Huge cloves, robust plants, tasty scapes to eat in spring, beautiful looking heads.

Last year I read a book called “The Complete Book of Garlic” by Ted Jordan Meredith which was extensive and interesting. It made me want to try a couple other varieties so this year I also planted a few Chesnok Red, Spanish Roja, and Siberian.

Here is a pic of my garlic patch this season; there are some leeks to the far left side and potato onions toward the bottom of the photo. And the day’s picking of strawberries. Above ground, the Music still looks best (center). The other varieties are to the left of the Music and to the right of the leeks. I had an earth box planted with garlic too but the squirrels dug up every single clove in the fall!

[Moley]

I grow hardnecks here in NYC, Music, Spanish red and a Russian purple type about 2 dozen total.

I harvest about July 4th every year and plant out any time after Halloween and before Thanksgiving, weather permitting.

[danzeb]

MuddyMess,
According to UCDavis:
To control sprout development and lengthen the storage period, garlic may be treated with preharvest applications of sprout inhibitors (i.e., maleic hydrazide) or be irradiated after harvest.

[MuddyMess_8a]

Thanks. I didn’t know that. I knew that sweet potatoes were often treated, but hadn’t heard anything about alliums.

If anyone treats the onions I buy, they sure aren’t doing a very effective job. Those things don’t seem to take any time at all to start sprouting in their bags.

[JamesWNY]

We grow local garlic from farmer market. The best part is the scape.