Growing garlic

[lbaker]

Kraig- Took your advise on planting the garlic and have had such good luck, time for another question. When do you dig it and how long a drying time prior to replanting? Do you let them go to seed first? Mine are forming up the seed pods now. TIA

 

[kmcconaughey]

Lyle, good to hear that your garlic is growing well. Not sure if your different climate makes a difference in the growing techniques or timing. Up here in Wisconsin in mid to late July the tops (leaves) start to yellow and eventually flop over. I dig the bulbs up when the tops start to yellow but before they start to flop over, if you wait too long the bulbs will start to break up and divide into the individual cloves. I dig the bulbs up with a spade, a spading fork will also work. They will have incredible roots and you will not be able to just pull them. I start at one end of the bed (my beds are typically 3-4' wide and 8-10' long with the garlic planted on a 6" grid) and dig in 6-8" away and loosen up the soil along the row then I grab in with my hand under a bulb and pull it free from the soil, I knock off the soil and set the bulb aside and grab the next bulb until I finish that row, then I move to the next and dig in again along the row continuing this until I finish digging up the bed. After I get the garlic bulbs all dug up I spread them out on some old window screens and set them in a shady place on saw horses (Adirondack chairs work well too.

) to allow good airflow to dry. Do not wash the bulbs! After a few hours I knock off any additional soil that has dried and loosened up. I like to move the screens into the garage or shed at night to keep any dew or rain off of them. I set them back out each morning unless it's going to rain. I usually give the garlic 2 weeks of curing. After it has cured a day or 2 I take a pair of bypass pruners and cut off the roots. After 2 weeks I use the bypass pruners to cut the tops off and place the bulbs in some strawberry baskets for storage. It's best to provide good airflow while in storage, do not place in enclosed bags or containers as it will mold. I store it in the strawberry baskets in my basement on shelves. I don't like to set the baskets on the concrete floor for fear of moisture causing the bulbs to sprout. As far as the seed pods, you'll want to cut those off (are you sure it's seed pods or is it bulblets?) Mine rarely form them but you should cut them off as they will steal energy from the plant and you'll end up with smaller bulbs. It could be that the variety that I am growing doesn't produce as many bulblets, or it could be climate related, I don't know. In any case you don't need them for propagation as that is done by breaking up the bulbs into individual cloves and you replant some of the cloves. You'll want to save the biggest and best bulbs for replanting. To insure good size bulbs be sure to keep the garlic well watered, especially as it is "bulbing up". I like to check now and again in July (could be earlier for you, say May or June???) by digging with my fingers next to a few plants to see if the bulbs are forming and to see how big they might be. I replant in late October in Wisconsin, early enough that the cloves will start to send out roots but not early enough that they start top growth. For a general guide for your area plant them about the time of year that you would plant tulip bulbs.

Here's some photos of last years harvest, notice how the tops are just starting to yellow a bit at the tips.

Here's a photo from 2001, this was just before I cut the tops off, notice how they are dried and brown. Also two of the strawberry baskets that I store the bulbs in.

 

[blanasa]

Kraig
Nice garlic! What kind do you plant?

 

[kmcconaughey]

Brian, thanks. I bought some "German Extra-Hardy seed garlic" from Johnny's Seed back in the mid 1990's. Since then I've just saved the best bulbs for replanting.

German Extra-Hardy Garlic

 

[jlang]

KRAIG, I could have used some of that nice garlic with my supper I made last night. Started by harvesting our first asparagus and mircorwaved it, then put on top of toast topped with scrambled eggs + cheese & stuff.

Yum-Yum!

 

[kmcconaughey]

John, that sure looks good!!!!! You should have said something before Plow Day and I would have brought you some garlic. My asparagus isn't even out of the ground yet, but it should be soon. The rhubarb is up and growing nicely.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I almost forgot to post the 2007 garlic harvest photos. Really good garlic harvest this year, so much garlic to dry that my old storm door screens finally gave out so I made two 24"x48" garlic drying racks out of 2x4s and 1/4" mesh hardware cloth. I have already cut the tops off and I ended up needed 4 of those strawberry baskets to hold all the garlic.

 

[aaytay]

Note to self: Do not ride in the same vehicle or stand down-wind of Kraig for the next year....

 

[lbaker]

Kraig- Nice looking harvest!! Couple questions for you. Do you plant the small bulbs (size of a marble)? About time to plant or am I rushing by a month or so? Posted this same thing earlier today, but for some reason it disappeared!!

 

[kmcconaughey]

Lyle, in my neck of the woods planting time is late October, not sure about the timing for North Carolina, however I did a web search and found THIS. Looks like it could be just about time for you to plant depending on where in N.C. you are. I've planted smaller size cloves, they seem to grow just fine but it's recommended to save and replant cloves from the biggest bulbs.

 

[kweaver]

Kitchen Worker Found Stomping on Garlic While Wearing Shoes at New York Chinese Restaurant

http://tinyurl.com/24vbpl

Page 2 with pic

http://tinyurl.com/yvemfb

 

[kmcconaughey]

KENtucky, I always wear shoes when I prep my garlic...... I just don't stomp on the stuff!

 

[kweaver]

Maybe the guy use to work at a winery

 

[kmcconaughey]

 

[blanasa]

Finally planted my garlic 2 weeks ago. Couldn't wait for the first frost( finally got here last weekend). When I mulched it the other day, it looked like some of the cloves were starting to sprout. Put a good 3" of mulched leaves over top so I hope that it will be all right. I planted some of the German Extra Hardy that Kraig recomended. Had some more space so I planted some that I got from the grocery store too.
Brian L.

 

[lbaker]

Way to go Brian!! I planted some of mine lst month here in NC. About 1/2 the bulbs planted are now up 3-4 inches. Have a couple pounds in refrig "cooling their heels" which I will plant in Dec. Garlic falls in same relm as all peppers. I love to grow them, don't eat!! Keep us posted on your results.

 

[blanasa]

Lyle,
I do eat garlic but my girlfriend Edie could eat all that you and I both could grow.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Brian, the 3" of leaves should be OK as a mulch. In the spring carefully remove some of the leaves until you can see the garlic shoots. Leave some of the leaves, say an inch or so as a mulch to suppress weed growth and to hold moisture in the ground.

Lyle, wow 3-4" shoots already! What time of year did you end up harvesting your garlic?

 

[lbaker]

Kraig- If memory serves me correctly, think it was May or 1st of June. I dug 3 strawberry baskets full and a lot of the smaller bulblets. Planted an area of both large and bulblets in Oct. Larger ones are up. Not so with small ones. I have a quart jar of small in refrig I want to plant shortly. (we use very little garlic) I do like to watch thngs grow. Never know until you try. All your assistance paying off!!

 

[blanasa]

In the directions from Johnny's Selected Seeds it said to fertilize and mulch from 4 to 6 inches deep then remove the mulch in the spring. It also said that the idea is to get good root growth but no top growth before winter (evidently it already is winter where you are Kraig). We might get some snow and/or freezing rain tonight into tommorrow morning here near Baltimore but it's supposed to in the 40's tommorrow afternoon.
Brian L