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Planting and growing garlic

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 October 2018 at 10:22
I recently received the Chesnok Red Garlic that I ordered from https://www.seedsavers.org:

https://www.seedsavers.org/chesnok-red-organic-garlic

It looks great, and I can't wait to see how it does next year.

The garlic arrived with a helpful planting guide. You can access that guide online by following this link:

https://www.seedsavers.org/site/pdf/Garlic_GrowingGuide.pdf

Seed Savers also ahs an abbreviated version of the guide that you can find here:

https://www.seedsavers.org/grow-garlic

Here are some highlights:

Quote Garlic is a heavy nitrogen feeder that thrives in well-draining soil.

Plant after the first frost in the fall. The largest cloves grow the largest bulbs.

Gently separate the cloves from the bulb, being careful nt to remove the papery skins from the cloves.

Plant each clove root end down, pointed end up, 6 to 8 inches apart.

Cover with 2 inches of soil and 6 inches of mulch. Grass clippings mixed with leaves, straw or hay is ideal.

Unless shoots are having difficulty emerging through the mulch layer, leave the mulch in place...it helps control weeds, retains moisture and provides nutrients as it decomposes.

Keep weeds under control early in the season, as garlic does not compete well with weeds.

Garlic needs about an inch of water per week during the growing season. Discontinue supplemental watering in early June [later as you go north]. This allows for better bulb growth and easier harvest.

Cut or break off scapes (the curling tops of garlic plants) after they are 10 inches long. They will inhibit bulb growth if they are allowed to remain. Softneck varieties generally do not have scapes.

Harvest after leaf die-back when half of the leaves have died down (June or early July...in Iowa). Do not wait too long or the bulbs will begin to separate in the ground.

Dig carefully...pulling may cause the stalk to separate from the bulb.

Do not leave garlic in the sun or wash it with water.

Tie in bundles and hang in a shaded, fry, well-ventilated shed or garage for 4 to 6 weeks.

Handle garlic carefully [to avoid bruising].

After the papery skins are dry, trim the roots and cut the stalks at least 1.5 inches above the bulb. thepapery wrpping protects the garlic and keeps it fresh. Remove just the dirtiest layers before storage

Store in net bags in a dark, well-ventilated and cool space.... Do not refrigerate.

Be sure to save your biggest and best bulbs as seed stock to plant in the fall.


By the looks of it, the timing of some of the instructions (discontinuing watering, harvest etc.) will depend on that latitude and/or climate in which you live.

Hope this helps - if anyone has anything to add, or has any questions, please be sure to post them here.

Ron
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ddufore Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 November 2018 at 21:01
I have planted this variety along with 4 others for the last 5 years. It’s a keeper.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 November 2018 at 07:59
Welcome to our little corner of the culinary world, Dan.  

We are a diverse group, with members ranging from raw beginners to seasoned professionals. What we have in common is a love of food, cooking, culinary history, and the cultural influences that make them what they are.

Don't hesitate to jump right in on existing threads, or start one or three of your own.  A good place to start is the Members Lounge forum, where you can tell us a little about yourself and your culinary interests. 

We hope to hear more from you. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 November 2018 at 08:08
That's a pretty good summary of garlic growing, Ron. As always, however, their are nuances.

Forget that "die back" phrase, for instance. What happens, as the plant starts to devote most of its energy to bulb formation, is that the leaves start to change color, turning from green to a sort of yellowish straw.  When about half of them have changed, lift the bulbs.

Almost every set of instructions I've ever read makes a point of not washing the bulbs. Nonsense! No, you don't want to soak them. But swishing them around in a pail of water, and then hanging, gets rid of most of the dirt that adheres.  This is less important when you have loamy soil. But if, as here, you have heavy clay, you want to get rid of as much of it as you can.  

Something not mentioned: Softneck varieties should not be trimmed. Instead, braid the leaves and hang them that way.  This makes a beautiful presentation in the kitchen. But, more importantly, it prolongs the shelf-life of the bulbs, which are notoriously shorter with softnecks than hardnecks. 

The return on investment with garlic is nothing short of incredible. I once did a breakdown for an on-line friend, who though 15 bucks a pound was outrageous.  Turns out, by the third year (with certain assumptions), hardneck garlics cost something like .003 cents per bulb.  To me, that makes the purchase price inconsequential. 

Another trick: Commercial garlic suppliers fill orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Which means if you order in the spring, for fall delivery, you have a better chance at receiving the cream of the crop.

We can talk more about this if you like. 
But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 November 2018 at 13:18
Indeed, Brook - please do feel free to post as much as you'd like on the subject. If I do even half as well growing with this project as I hope to, I intend to learn more and expand a bit on it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 November 2018 at 14:47
One nice thing about growing garlic is that there's lots of room for experimentation. It is, in actuality, very low maintainance.

I do question SSE's spacing. Six to eight inches is nearly twice what's needed.  If you plant the cloves on 4-inch centers that's plenty of room.  One trick is to use wood lattice panels. Lay one down (or half of one, whatever) and plant a clove in the center of each opening.  Perfect spacing, and the panel helps as a mulch, keeping weeds down. 

Unstated, above, is the fact that scapes are a gourmet treat in their own right. Don't worry about measuring them (ten inches indeed!). As they appear they will first be straight, like spears. They'll then curl, and, eventually, start to straighten out again. That's the time to harvest them. 

On the other side of the growing season, don't forget green garlic, one of the great culinary delights of spring. 

FWIW, rather than rows I prefer planting garlic in blocks. That's one reason for the lattice. But, so long as you maintain the 4-5 inch spacing, you can lay out the blocks however your fancy dictates.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 November 2018 at 14:58
BTW, here's how I determined the high return on investment.  Using hardnecks, there are, on average, 10 cloves per head, and six heads per pound.  Assuming you replant the entire crop, and get 100% harvest (not unusual with garlic), the math is simple. At the time, "gourmet" garlic was $15/pound. So let's use that figure.

So, we're starting with $1.50 per head

First year you plant 60 cloves, and harvest 60 heads. That drops the cost to 25 cents per.  If you replant all of them, you'll have 600 cloves the second year, or 2.5 cents per head in the fall.  

Continue like that and you see how incredible the return on investment is.

Of course, you won't be replanting the whole crop. You are, after all, growing it to cook with. But it gives you the idea of who cheap home-grown garlic (or any alliums, for that matter) can be.

And don't forget: Because you are cloning them, you can plant different garlics fairly close together, with no chance of crossing.  I separate blocks by two feet, for no other reason than it provides me access paths between blocks. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 March 2019 at 15:24
I received this addendum from Brook, a while ago:

Originally posted by Brook Brook wrote:

When your garlic is ready for harvest (you'll know because the foliage starts changing color), you're likely to have a number of "rounders." These are bulbs that have not differentiated into cloves.

You certainly can use them. But it's better to save them as part of your seed stock. The second year, rounders will not only differentiate, they'll form larger heads than when starting with a clove.
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