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Garlic!!| Member | Message |
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Posted: Apr/23/2007 6:39 AM PST
 Anybody know about how long it takes to grow and the basic care of garlic? The one book I have doesn't really give me much information about garlic at all. Please help????Thanks, Jeanne |
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Posted: Apr/23/2007 9:53 AM PST
I plant my garlic in the fall and it is part of my winter garden. It has been pretty low care for me. In the summer time, when the leaves have started turning yellow is when I pull the garlic up and let it dry for a few days. Some people recommend cutting off the seed/flower heads for better garlic bulb production, though I haven't really seen much of a difference. Currently, I am on my third year of growing Chinese Pink Garlic and Elephant garlic. I save some of my best ones each year for replanting in the fall. |
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Posted: Apr/23/2007 11:44 AM PST
I grow garlic, but not for eating. I've never had much success at that. But, I plant single toes randomly, about 18-24 inches apart, to keep bugs out of my soil. I cannot state scientifically that it works, but I get good results. I haven't had to treat my garden for soil pests since the first year I started doing this. I do get slugs now and then, but beer does well for them. I also have an organic product I use which is not harmful to the environment. The little toes that I do get are really nice chopped up for a fresh dish. Sweeter but every bit as pungent to the taste buds. HTH |
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Posted: Apr/23/2007 6:05 PM PST
My garden book goes like this: Prepare soil outdoors by cultivating deeply early in the spring. Set individual cloves 2 to 4 inches apart blunt end down & cover with 2 to 3 inches of soil Water when soil is very dry, expect after tops have begun to wither. After this, the soil should be allowed to dry out if the weather permits. Fertilize when leaves are 5 to 6 inches tall. Harvest when tops are yellow and shriveled, lifting bulbs carefully & curing by laying out for a few days in a dry, airy place before storing. Garlic is often stored by braiding the tops together after they dry. This braid may be hung in the kitchen within reach of the cook. Good luck. |
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Posted: Apr/24/2007 8:34 PM PST
If you want to try garlic this yr, it's not too late. Just buy some at the market, divide into individual cloves & plant 1 1/2- 2 in deep. Follow the previous directions on harvesting. In my area, I would plant the hardneck cloves in the autumn. And softneck in the spring (if I needed more). Hardnecks store longer & softnecks are the ones you make the nice braids from. |
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Posted: Apr/26/2007 9:06 AM PST
I planted some elephant garlic 10 years ago, and it has a milder taste than regular garlic(good raw in salads, etc.), and I usually forget about it by the next year, so when I till my garden, it chops it up and I have new plants growing for this season. |
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Posted: Apr/26/2007 3:26 PM PST
I never grew garlic before, but from my memories, ( in my house, my mother never cooked any meals without garlic) it took 1 whole season to start the picking, or dug-ing the garlic. You can still use it when it still young (soft. it has a lot of flavor still) or you wait, collect them on the right time, braid them ( when you pick them with leaves. the leaves would be the< kind of hair, So you braid the leaves. the garlic would be at the end) put them in a dry ( barn) place to dry. I hope i made any sense. |
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Posted: Apr/26/2007 9:19 PM PST
Here is a quick picture I took of some of my chinese pink garlic next to one of my elephant garlic plants. The chinese pink garlic is full size, while the elephant garlic plant tends to get twice this size. To get a sense of the size, the board behind is 12 inches tall. Attachments:  |
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