[gonefishin]

Do you have any recommendations on what type of garlic to grow?

What's your favorite type?

What zone are you in? (5 for me)



yum!
dan

[gonefishin]

Well...I ended up ordering the Choose Gardener's/ Epicure's Delight from gourmet garlic gardens. Last year I tried to oder too late and couldn't find ANY places that were still selling some of the better garlics.

I guess I'll see how some of these taste next year


Here's a link I found posted some time ago, by mudbug (I think), on growing garlic.

dan

[phoebe]

I grew garlic for the first time this year (well, I planted the cloves in October of last year) and have been very pleased with the results. It's so easy. Just plant, give them a little occasional side-dressing of fert. and then let them do what they do no matter what the weather. But I just bought a pack from a local nursery and didn't know what kind I had. This time I've ordered from The Garlic Store: Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce And they seem to know what they're doing. I decided to get the All-Star Sampler Pack--which is good for all climate zones--so I could learn which types I liked best.

[KYHeirloomer]

As a quick aside. At my garlic growing presentation last night there were 17 people. Only four of them reacted negatively to the idea of eating garlic raw to determine how it really tastes. Quite a difference. In the past, given 17 people, I'd be lucky to get four of them to taste it raw.

Ah, progress!

That aside, I'm not sure what is meant by "good for all climate zones."

Garlic must have a cold tempering period of at least two months. Of course, there's cold and there's cold. But at a minimum we're talking sustained soil temperatues less than 60 degrees. Other than that, climate is irrelevent.

While garlic is daylength sensitive it's nowhere near as sensitive as onions. Long daylength onions just wont develop at all in the deep south, for instance.

Not so with garlic. With garlic, hardneck varieties tend to do better under long daylength conditions, and softnecks tend to do better with short daylengths.

But I guarantee a relatively new garlic grower in the south, who plants a hardneck such as Shvelisi or Music, won't notice the difference. And even though the bulbs will be smaller, and the cloves not as plump, it will still taste so much better than the California White available at the grocery that you won't care even if you do notice the smaller size.

As far as ordering goes, savvy growers know to place their orders in March or April for fall delivery. That way you are on the list early enough to assure availability of the varieties you want, and that the quality is high. Most growers ship their better stuff first. Anything left this time of year, by and large, is usually less than top quality.

[gonefishin]

Thanks KYH!


I ended up receiving three varieties (2 bulbs of each). S & H Silverskin, Chesnok Red and German White. I'm getting ready to plant them soon...we'll see how it goes in a year




dan

[gonefishin]

Those little garlic plants are poking their heads up thru the dirt already


can't wait!

[HeidiH]

Hope it's ok to ask here in this thread, we have some wild garlic growing in the garden. My question how do you know when the correct time to harvest it is? I've been reading conflicting views online. They have not flowered yet.

[gonefishin]

Originally Posted by HeidiH

Hope it's ok to ask here in this thread, we have some wild garlic growing in the garden. My question how do you know when the correct time to harvest it is? I've been reading conflicting views online. They have not flowered yet.

Hi HeidiH,

I'm just starting to grow garlic at home, so I don't have much to offer you. But this link on growing garlic may be useful to you.

good luck!
dan

[Gunnar]

you are gonna love those Chesnok reds. my wife is the gardner, i just till soil and move heavy things and feed and water the animals. that being said when i stand up and pay attention to a particular brand of anything..it means i liked it.

[abefroman]

How do I know when the garlic is ready to pick?

Can I grow regular cloves that started sprouting?

[OregonYeti]

I moved from zone 3 to zone 6, a 120 mile move

[KYHeirloomer]

Abe, one of the nice things about garlic is that it tells you if it's ready.

First off, if you're growing hardnecks, they will put out scapes. You want to break those off, for two reasons. First, they're a culinary treat in their own right. And, second, you want the plant to put all its energy into bulb development.

Bulbs will be ready roughly a month after the scapes appear.

But there's a better way, which works for both hard- and softnecks. The leaves will start to change color, first turning a sort of goldish, then going to brown. This happens from the bottom up.

When 2/3 to 3/4 of the leaves have changed, the bulbs are ready. At that point, dig up one of them to see how it looks. It should be filled out, differentiated into cloves, and covered with several layers of "paper."

If that's what it looks like, lift the rest of them and go to the next step, which is curing.

[KYHeirloomer]

"Can I grow regular cloves that started sprouting? "

Yes, you can. But odds are you won't have enough time for them to bulb out.

I would use those to grow green garlic---basically scallions that are garlic instead of onions.

Plant them about an inch apart, and harvest as needed.

[abefroman]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

"Can I grow regular cloves that started sprouting? "

Yes, you can. But odds are you won't have enough time for them to bulb out.

I would use those to grow green garlic---basically scallions that are garlic instead of onions.

Plant them about an inch apart, and harvest as needed.

How long does it take to bulb?

[KYHeirloomer]

Although there are slight variations, about four to five months.

Here in Kentucky, for instance, new growth will typically appears in February, and we lift the hardneck garlic around July 5 or so. Depends a little on variety, of course.

But keep in mind that before the new growth the plant had broken its dormancy and is further developing the root structure it began when you planted in the fall.

If you plant those sprouting cloves now, they'll need several weeks to develop roots. Then start growing. And, before they can set bulbs, your hot weather will be in, and they won't tolerate it.

That's why I suggest green garlic now.