I have some hard neck garlic that I didn’t use over the winter. Some is starting to sprout. Has anyone planted it in the spring and still gotten a harvest? I hate for it to go to waste.
You can plant it. Bulbs will be small. So what garlic is garlic. They will mature later. Pick like normal garlic. When the bottom leaves die.
6 Likes
Plant it about 3” deep with about 3 tablespoons of 3-16 about 1/2” deep and you will get good sized bulbs
it is to late for it now. But if had good sucses with storing hardnecks in the fridge for a month and planting in january/february.
But since your a few zones lower. Planting it now might still give it some growing season.
don’t forget to pick the scapes early. For bigger bulb and tastier scapes.
You can plant those garlic for garlic green. Use it the same way as leek. Tender garlic green probably yield better than garlic bulbs in farmer’s market.
Just do not expect full size garlic. If you wait, you’ll probably get garlic round the size of penny.
FWIW my fall planted isn’t up yet
Yeah mine is growing even in freezing weather. Amazing plants! zone 5b/6a
Yes, since you are colder, they may be not as small as say if I planted now!
Getting close if not there. Lift one and see if the cloves separate reasonably easily. I’m jealous: mine is just emerging through the compost!
Nice beds, too.
2 Likes
We’ve planted into March here in the Finger Lakes, but not quite as late as this.
I’m pretty sure we already told you it has not even emerged yet. Now take your garlic and dry it at home!
1 Like
What variety is that. I would say no, it’s not ready yet though
my first year w garlic i was lucky enough to get some Persian Star here on this forum, but I decided to do so very late and actually received the garlic in winter. I put it into ground in late March here in WI.
That year’s bulbs were maybe 2/3 the size they currently “want” to be with more proper growing time. So…it can produce bulbs, albeit smaller ones that year. But you’d have garlic, vs having none. If you have cause to use your garlic yet in cooking, etc. you can do that instead and buy new garlic next summer/fall, but you can absolutely work with the garlic you have, at least from my limited experience, and get something of a partial yield/jump on the following summer vs just waiting until this fall to do anything…up to you
Wow it is early! They look ready, you better harvest one and check it. If left cloves begin to separate and grow. Harvesting late is worse than early if you ask me. Most of the skins are gone so it starts degrading early, and the garlic is super strong, almost too much as it burns. Especially in hardnecks.
The flavor is bitter too.
Variety is California Early White. Name checks out. 
As a rough estimate.
The amount of green leaves from top to bottom. Are how many wraps your bulb has.
More wraps is longer storage, but you do sacrafise some yield for storage.
You could harvest a few earlie to store longer. And let a few go late for maximum yield. But eat them quickly.
So harvesting time, there is no 1 correct answer. My personal prefurance. I would leave them a bit longer. (they still look plenty green to me)
btw are they softnecks or hardnecks? (did you harvest the scapes ?)
You usualy harvest softnecks and hardnecks at different “points”
i usualy harvest softnecks if the plants are 1/2-2/3 brown. And a third are falling over.
Hardnecks when there are 2-4 (mostly 3) green leaves left.
It is large part preferance though.
Harvesting early gives longer storage. Harvesting late gives slightly higher yield.
Like drew said. better to harvest to early. Than to harvest to late.
1 Like
That’s great to know. I’m not sure if it matters or not, but most of it is already sprouting. Some are a couple inches already. That’s the main reason I’m even considering planting it. I’m not sure how much longer it’ll keep. I did plant a bed of it last fall so I’m good there. I probably made the mistake of keeping it in the garage over the winter. Basically went through winter and now spring temps. From what I read it needs the cold period to divide into bulbs the next season. Most of the winter it was right at freezing so I’m hoping that’s good enough.
Next year I’ll have to store them differently.