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Anybody Grow Garlic?

Matt50680

Matt50680

I read online last year that to grow garlic all you have to do is take a whole clove and break it up. Peal the "paper" off each individual clove and plant it point up in the ground 2" or so deep. Once the plant stems you just water it as you would other plants and when the stem above ground turns brown in the fall dig up your new crop.

Is this actually the way to do it or was this BS??? I tried it last year and it grew kinda, I got lots of stem above ground, but I got my garden in so late last year it may not have had enough time to actually grow.
 
Matt,

I don't but intend to this year. However, it looks like it does better when sown in the fall. Here is a page that gives some tips.

Mike
 
Yeah Matt, I think Mike's right. I planted garlic in the Spring for three years and it didn't do squat. This past Fall, I planted it in October. I don't know if it's gonna do any good, but it can't do worse than my Spring plantings.

By the way, this is the place, Bloosquall's Garlic Farm, that I ordered from. Small operation, great selection, great service, real nice guy. I'll definitely order from him again, assuming what I planted does ok this year. Just an fyi.
 
I plant in the fall as well. Generally speaking the time to plant garlic is after the first light frost in the fall. For me, that is around the end of October. I never remove the paper from the clove when I plant. I just break up the bulb, mix in some compost and bone meal in the bed, plant, and mulch about 2 in deep. When the plants start to grow again in the spring, I fertilize again with some 10-10-10. I also water with some fish emulsion as well to give a little extra nitrogen. After about 1/3 of the leaves have died back, I dig down a little and check the bulb. Don't wait too long or the bulb will start to seperate. In my area, I harvest around the middle of June. It is probably the easiest thing I grow as far as effort required.
 
I was looking into garlic but I couldn't find much information on varieties that do well in my climate. I think most garlic requires colder temperatures. If anyone knows of a hardneck garlic that grows in Southern California please let me know. I also read that it's best to buy seed garlic as the garlic in the supermarkets may be treated to prevent sprouting and is selected for shelf life not flavor.
 
I know that I have had garlic from the supermarket sprout while waiting to be used, so I think it can be used to grow. Might be the same as for potatoes. I have read that they are treated as well, but I know of people who grew potatoes from the grocery store. Seed garlic can be very expensive, but once you get a good crop, you can use it year after year unless you want to try new varieties.

I don't know of any hardnecks that do well in warmer areas. They are supposed to be better if Mother Nature tortures them for a few months.:lol:Softneck may be your best option.

Here is a link that may give you more information if you are interested:

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growsouth.htm

It basically says that for S.California grow artichokes, creoles, or marbled purple stripe garlics. My favorite artichoke garlic is Lorz Italian, I haven't grown any creoles, and the purple stripes are the most warm tolorant of the Hardnecks. I have Chesnok Red and Siberian growing now. We'll see how it goes.

Good Luck!
jacob
 
here's the #1 garlic farm in the northwest. Filaree Farm in Conconully, WA
http://www.filareefarm.com/

excellent products, just ask them about SoCal.

definitely plant in fall, don't peel, stay away from supermarket cloves, and when the stem gets tall enough, it will make a curly-Q at the top....like a pig's tail......and you should cut the curly-Q off. That top piece is called the scape and is delightful when cooked. Use it in a veggie saute or stir fry.....

Garlic can propogate via the cloves in the ground or via seeds in the blossom. By cutting off the blossom, that will force growth to the bulb in the ground. Bigger Bulbs-that's a good thing!


It might be a little late for planting this year, but go for it anyway.
 
Yeah I grow garlic. Put it in the ground in fall, just really anytime it gets cool but before the ground freezes. It does best for me when I mulch with grass clippings in fall.

I don't peel the paper off the bulbs.

Be sure you cut the scapes off in early summer, the bulbs will be smaller if you do not. (I occasionally miss one or two and you can really tell the diff. in bulb size.
 
Plant in October, harvest in July. I plant mine first week in October. Hard neck is the best for cooler climates. Just make sure the skin is on the clove. As per El Sol, cut off the scapes in early summer. The scape is a stalk which will curl and form a seed pod. Cut it off at its base. I've have in ground 25 White Germany and 25 Porcelin Whites. Once the leaves turn brown its time to harvest. Be sure to let them "dry" in a place with some air circulating. Had a problem awhile back with rotting, picked them and hung them in my garage. Hope this helps. Been growing garlic for about 10 years. Can't help you on where it buy garlic, I get mine at a large garlic festival near me.Oh, make sure the clove is point up, garlic doesn't like growing upside down! http://www.hvgf.org
 
I thought I posted this before... Thanks everyone for the info about my climate. I'll be looking for artichoke, creole, or marbled purple stripe next fall.
 
Matt, I simply break the bulbs apart and plant then before Winter. For the rest, simply let them grow, and harvest when the leaves start turning yellow.
 
I set out 160 bulbs about 2 weeks ago. Well over half have already up. Here is a photo from a past harvest.

IMG_2108.jpg
 
I grew it several years ago, for about 5 years, then could no longer see any value in growing it as it is so readily available in stores. What I did was purchase bulbs in the fall(October-clearance priced), dig a hole in the garden, toss them into the hole and cover with dirt(I didn't even row plant them), I did remember to mark the location(just incase I forgot I planted it). Then in the spring(June), dig up the bulbs and you'll find they have started to sprout under the ground. Then, separate the bulbs being careful not to damage the new roots and plant them in the ground in rows. Water and walk away.

Another method that worked for me was to purchase a bulb in the early spring and put it into the fridge until it starts to sprout, take the sprouts and plant them into the ground.

Both methods have worked for me but I don't find garlic very exciting to grow, unlike peppers and all the various types of tomatoes, beets are kind of cool with some neat varieties available. Some types of carrots are nifty. I once read an article about elephant garlic but then the article said despite its size, it was mild in strength but I have never been able to find it. There is a type called rosewood that is suppose to be strong and have some heat value.

.....I don't know, maybe some member here can get me excited about garlic again.
 
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