Planting Garlic

[LC]

Post #5. Last paragraph.

 

[Raggedyman]

Sounds like a comparable consumption, garlic wise. Do I leave the little papery covering on the clove when I plant it, or do I remove it?

Packy
I always leave it on

 

[packyderms_wife]

. If you are as far south as I am you will get more garlic if you raise artichokes and silverskins. I can raise hardnecks but I don't get as much garlic.

Could you explain more about "artichokes and silverskins" please.

 

[packyderms_wife]

We are still eating last year's garlic....Siberian and Romanian Red. We love both of them. Long keepers and big bulbs. I don't have room to grow seed stock so I buy seed from a place in Oregon every year.

Unfortunately I was unable to plant last fall so we have no fresh from our garden to store this winter. The locals grow it so I will just buy up a bunch of it and store that. I think it's mostly Russian Red from the looks of it.

I also plant in raised beds. I bought a huge yard of composted manure this year and piled it into my beds. The garlic bed that rested last year has wax beans in it right now which is ok cause they will set nitrogen into the soil for me but be done in time to plant the garlic. The best garlic I have grown was the year after I switched the bed from beans to garlic. I think with all that good compost still in there they will do well again. I probably will add some good organic fertilizer that I still have left also. I want HUGE bulbs next year.

We eat garlic nearly every day so I plant a lot of it. I never even think about garlic breath anymore cause I am usually only around dh after dinner and he has it too!

The raised bed my garlic is going into had yellow wax beans and peas in it this year.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Packy
I always leave it on

Thank you, and to LC as well! Lots to learn. Garlic was my mom's thing, she wouldn't let any of us near her garlic beds, or even help.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I soak my garlic cloves in a soda/water solution and gently peel and then soak in rubbing alcohol for no more than 20 minutes. This is to cut down on disease.

Soda/Water? I'm assuming baking soda and not washing soda. What ratio?

 

[LC]

Artichokes, silverskins and hardnecks are different classes of garlic. Suggest reading on the Gourmet Garlic Garden website.

Posting on kindle. Ugh!

Baking soda. Table spoon or so to quart of warmish water. Don't want to hurt the garlic.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Artichokes, silverskins and hardnecks are different classes of garlic. Suggest reading on the Gourmet Garlic Garden website.

Posting on kindle. Ugh!

Baking soda. Table spoon or so to quart of warmish water. Don't want to hurt the garlic.

Thank you, and I'll check out the garlic website.

 

[Dinghy]

I finally got the rest of my garlic planted . I have somewhere around 200. I planted two batches a couple of weeks apart, and lost count. I stil have a lot of bulbs left, but don't have a need to grow more than that. I made garlic powder this year, and still have cloves in the freezer from last year. I might end up pickling some of them.

 

[imaginative]

Packy
I always leave it on

Yes, you need to leave the paper on otherwise the bulb will likely rot. The paper protects it.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Yes, you need to leave the paper on otherwise the bulb will likely rot. The paper protects it.

Thank you!

 

[LC]

OK. I'll try again after the board burped.

I have planted several thousand cloves of garlic with the papery skins removed. Rotting was not an issue. I removed the papery skins because it harbors microscopic mites which carry diseases that keep garlic from keeping as well as it should.

 

[Raggedyman]

I have planted Italian Hard Neck Garlic for 35 years. a minimum of 200 cloves at a pop.

I have NEVER peeled it.
I have NEVER soaked it.

I have simply broken it apart THAT DAY - picked the largest cloves and put it in the ground
point up root down
3-4" apart and 3"deep
MULCH - LOTS - GRASS CLIPPINGS - LEAVES
weed it - it DOESN'T LIKE weeds
side dress with 10-10-10 . . . 3-5 times until it starts to flower then STOP fertilizer
pull or cut the scapes asap you see them

late June - first week of July - GREAT GARLIC - with no problems and no hassle.

SIMPLE = PERFECT

 

[packyderms_wife]

Still haven't gotten the garlic planted, I guess my question now is is it too late? Ground isn't frozen yet.

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Oh no, you're fine. You can (though not recommended) chop through the frozen layer to plant it--it's not very picky.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Oh no, you're fine. You can (though not recommended) chop through the frozen layer to plant it--it's not very picky.

Good to know this. How deep should I plant the stuff? The bulbs/cloves are huge!

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Raggedy, I have been led to believe that you CAN plant the tiny bulblets of garlic that form at the top, BUT it will take several years to get anything big enough to use. I personally would only do it as a last resort or for fun.

I always manage to do this by accident----they make great garlic chives. I like the little bulbules in cream cheese, so I always let some form, and generally miss a few.

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Good to know this. How deep should I plant the stuff? The bulbs/cloves are huge!

What variety did you get?
I usually plant about 2 inches deep.

 

[LC]

We're planting today as soon as it is finished with the alcohol bath. I try to get them covered by about a half inch and then mulch with loose straw.

One year I broke frozen crust to plant. It really is tough.

 

[packyderms_wife]

What variety did you get?
I usually plant about 2 inches deep.

Red german softneck I do believe.

 

[packyderms_wife]

We're planting today as soon as it is finished with the alcohol bath. I try to get them covered by about a half inch and then mulch with loose straw.

One year I broke frozen crust to plant. It really is tough.

Good to know!

 

[LC]

Planted and tucked under their blankie. Hooray

 

[packyderms_wife]

My garlic has scapes on them, when to harvest the scapes and how to use??? I have gobs of cherry tomatoes and also arugula. I'm still confused when I'm supposed to harvest my garlic, wish my mom was still alive she was the queen of growing garlic!

 

[LC]

If not picked soon enough the scapes will get tough. Just pop some of them off and then get creative in the kitchen. Dig when about 1/2 the leaves have dried. Don't miss those right at the bottom.

 

[packyderms_wife]

If not picked soon enough the scapes will get tough. Just pop some of them off and then get creative in the kitchen. Dig when about 1/2 the leaves have dried. Don't miss those right at the bottom.

Thank you, first thing I plan to make is pesto with those scapes and my arugula.

 

[Raggedyman]

packy
we saute them with a sweet onion, bell pepper and a small zucchini sliced thin; sprinkle some adobo and granulated garlic on that - then scramble some eggs and fry that up all together . . . salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste - I believe you'll like it!

 

[packyderms_wife]

packy
we saute them with a sweet onion, bell pepper and a small zucchini sliced thin; sprinkle some adobo and granulated garlic on that - then scramble some eggs and fry that up all together . . . salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste - I believe you'll like it!

Going to have to try this it sound so good!