Friday Rookie Topic - Garlic

Names: Garlic - Ajo (Spanish), Aglio (Italian), Ail (French), Allium sativum (scientific name)

Related plants: Onions, leeks, shallots - they are all members of the alliums family.

Common Varieties: California
Early, California Late (both artichoke group), Silver Rose, Early
Italian, Inchelium red, Chesnok Red, and elephant garlic (technically
elephant garlic is not a garlic, rather a type of leek whose root bulbs
creates cloves – but it is close enough to garlic that it is grown using
the same methods)

Other varieties: There are
hundreds of cultivars of garlic. They are divided into two major
subspecies of garlic – hardnecks and softnecks. The difference has to do
with the stem. Hardneck style garlic has a sturdy central stem that
produces a scape (see below). Softnecks do not and are the type you
usually see braided and in grocery stores. Garlic can be further divided
into ten major groups. There are two softneck groups - artichoke and
silver skin. Three groups that are hard necks bud exhibit softneck
properties – creole, Asiatic and turban. There are five true hardneck
groups – porcelain, purple striped, marbled purple striped, glazed
purple striped, and rocambole

Culinary uses:
The root bulbs are the primary reason for growing garlic. However,
garlic provides two other common harvests. Small cloves are sometimes
planted for “garlic greens” which are harvest at a very immature stage
and resemble scallions. The scapes can also be harvested. The scapes are
part of the central stalk that produces the flower. Garlic bulbs can be
used in a variety of ways. An increasingly popular way is to roast the
whole cloves – they end up with a nutty and slight sweetness unlike the
other preparations. This is because the pungency normally associated
with garlic comes from the mixing of two chemicals that happens when the
garlic is cut. The heat of roasting changes the chemicals so that they
are not able to create the compounds to be “garlicky”. Similarly, when
using garlic in a sauté, let it rest for a minute or so after cutting in
order to let the flavor develop better.

How to plant:
Plant the individual cloves about 2-3 inches deep. The “pointy” end
should be pointed up and the flat end (that is the root end) down. Using
larger cloves usually results in larger bulbs at harvest time. Spacing
is as follows: 9/SF for standard planting. If you are planting small
cloves for garlic greens, they can be planted up to about 100/SF.
Elephant garlic is planted 4/SF.

When to Plant:
Garlic can be planted almost anytime. However, the best time in the
south, they grow best when planted in the fall and then harvested the
following summer. In the northern states, they are planted in the early
spring for a late fall harvest

Harvest information:
It is important to harvest garlic at the correct time. If you wait too
long, the bulbs will begin to separate. There is a bit of
differentiation between softnecks and hardnecks here. Softnecks are like
onions. When the tops starts to bend over and dry out stop watering at
this point and then harvest a few days later. For hardnecks, watch the
bottom few leaves, when they start turning brown, you are ready to
harvest. When harvesting, loosen the soil and then pull the plant out of
the ground. Give a shake to remove as much Mel’s Mix as possible. You
do have to cure your cloves for storage.

Curing the Cloves:
You can leave you put your cloves in the sun to cure for a couple of
days. You want to get them off the ground so they can dry appropriately.
Most importantly, after about a week, you can clip off the leaves
(don’t do this if you are planning on braiding your garlic). For
hardnecks, you should clip the stem about a week after the leaves.
Gently clean any remaining dirt off the garlic and store. You can braid
the garlic like shown in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Xyj82oO4g
Make
sure you save your biggest and best cloves to plant the next year. Over
time, this will result in increasingly better production.

History of Garlic:
Garlic has been around for thousands of years, even being found in the
tombs in Egypt. The origination of the species is most likely somewhere
in Asia somewhere between Mongolia and the Caspian Sea. Since the modern
varieties are so far removed from the wild, there is much uncertainty
about the exact origins. Garlic was used as food, a condiment, or a
medicinal. In Roman times it was common amongst the soldiers and
peasants. It was not only peasant food, but also a therapeutic for the
common folks – used in a variety of remedies from upset stomachs to
antiseptics. Garlic is very important in the cuisine of numerous Middle
Eastern countries as well as China and Korea.


Recipes:


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Garlic-and-Roasted-Garlic-Oil-369089


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Garlic-Bread-with-Gorgonzola-15818


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spaghetti-with-Broccoli-Rabe-and-Garlic-235756


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/-em-Acini-di-Pepe-em-Pasta-with-Garlic-and-Olives-242604


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oven-roasted-cauliflower-with-garlic-olive-oil-and-lemon-juice-recipe/index.html


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic-recipe/index.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2005-10-01/Garlic-Scapes.aspx?page=2

Awesome ashort! I really like the information on the different varieties and the curing techniques
Thanks for the great information here on garlic!

So as a everyone can see, Friday Rookie Topics are back! Our Regional Hosts have put together new topics for our 2012 season. They will plan to have a new topic up bi-weekly. All this is done on their free time on top of all their other responsibilities here on the forum so they deserve some big kudos
Great to see some new topics Hosts! Thank you

That was great. Thanks for all your hard work love the information can not wait to start garlic

Does anyone have more about growing? I planted mine in fall, the tops came up quite quickly, but some of which have now turned brown and died (or looking deader) not sure if that's supposed to happen.

arla wrote:Does anyone have more about growing? I planted mine in fall, the tops came up quite quickly, but some of which have now turned brown and died (or looking deader) not sure if that's supposed to happen.

arla, how big is the vegetation? It is not uncommon for the vegetation above ground to be 2-3 feet tall. For softneck varieties (typical grocery store type) the tops will brown and fall over. For hardneck varieties, they will not fall over, rather the bottom leaves will turn brown. Given that you are in zone 10, they might be done. You might try pulling one up to see what you have....

ashort........I would adjust the 'When to Plant' section. I'm in Maine (the north for sure) and I plant hardnecks around Columbus Day and let them overwinter and harvest them the following summer.

arla wrote:Does anyone have more about growing? I planted mine in fall, the tops came up quite quickly, but some of which have now turned brown and died (or looking deader) not sure if that's supposed to happen.

Arla,

I'm also in so CA and planted in the fall, Oct I think (I'm bad about keeping track). I planted garlic in 2 beds. I planted 2 types in one bed and those all have the brown, dried tips and are not anywhere near as tall as the others but look like they are staring to green up from the bottom. I think they got frosted as I think they turned brown right after one of the very few times we got frost this year (the other times were before they came up). Plus that bed has way more compost & not enough vermiculaite & peat. The other bed has the proper MM plus more protection (block bed and under the tomatoes that are still going but got slightly frosted). I know garlic can stand cold, but these are my observations as a first time garlic grower. In my caes the difference I see is probably more due to the MM.

elephant garlic is not a garlic, rather a type of leek whose root bulbs
creates cloves – but it is close enough to garlic that it is grown using
the same methods)

I never knew... anyways, before the snow (of several feet!) last week, I could see my garlic shoots poking up from the straw. I have about 10 inches of straw on top of garlic that I planted in October. We have had a fairly typical Colorado winter. Harsh one day. Nice the next It's nice seeing the reassurance that my garlic is still alive and well every once in awhile.
This year I planted Silver Rose, Spanish Roja, and German Red. I am really looking forward to the German Red. It's supposed to have a good "kick" to it

Does anyone here braid their garlic?

EYV, the Silver Rose I planted could work for you.
http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com/product_info.php?products_id=1158&osCsid=6b984e10768529632a55a260aa872d86
One of the reasons I plant garlic in the fall is because my growing season is just to short to plant it in the spring and for it to fully develop.
But lots of folks do plant in spring and harvest in the fall with great results.
You can still plant garlic in the spring, but some varieties like the German garlic I got do better with cold temps. I say if you want some garlic, don't be sceeered to plant some in the spring.

nKedrOoStEr wrote:Does anyone here braid their garlic?

I do, this is my seed garlic, getting ready to plant. I cannot find the other photos just now.

Camp, that is awesome! Did you also grow that garlic? I can do a simple braid so I may give it whirl this year.

nKedrOoStEr wrote:Camp, that is awesome! Did you also grow that garlic? I can do a simple braid so I may give it whirl this year.

Yes, that was harvested in June 2011 and replanted in October 2011. The braiding of garlic at first can be frustrating, does take some practice to get a good tension, but it's not hard to do if you can do a simple braid.

Hey, I like those vids! I will have to bookmark em so they're handy when I harvest

ashort wrote:arla, how big is the vegetation? It is not uncommon for the vegetation above ground to be 2-3 feet tall. For softneck varieties (typical grocery store type) the tops will brown and fall over. For hardneck varieties, they will not fall over, rather the bottom leaves will turn brown. Given that you are in zone 10, they might be done. You might try pulling one up to see what you have....

Nowhere near 2 feet, more like 6 inches at the most. Planted the first set October 23rd, second set 6th of November, they aren't under anything more than mel's mix, haven't figure where to get straw or anything that I can use as a good mulch yet, we did have one, maybe two frosts, but nothing major. Pretty sure they aren't done, no way they've been in there long enough from what I read about Garlic, guess I'll just leave it (have a bit of space in my SFG right now anyway, so I'm in no hurry to free up any squares) and then see what happens.

arla wrote:

ashort wrote:arla, how big is the vegetation? It is not uncommon for the vegetation above ground to be 2-3 feet tall. For softneck varieties (typical grocery store type) the tops will brown and fall over. For hardneck varieties, they will not fall over, rather the bottom leaves will turn brown. Given that you are in zone 10, they might be done. You might try pulling one up to see what you have....

Nowhere near 2 feet, more like 6 inches at the most. Planted the first set October 23rd, second set 6th of November, they aren't under anything more than mel's mix, haven't figure where to get straw or anything that I can use as a good mulch yet, we did have one, maybe two frosts, but nothing major. Pretty sure they aren't done, no way they've been in there long enough from what I read about Garlic, guess I'll just leave it (have a bit of space in my SFG right now anyway, so I'm in no hurry to free up any squares) and then see what happens.

Yeah, I would just leave them alone. A couple of frosts aren't going to set garlic back - its pretty hardy... maybe give a drench of some compost tea...

ashort wrote:

arla wrote:

ashort wrote:arla, how big is the vegetation? It is not uncommon for the vegetation above ground to be 2-3 feet tall. For softneck varieties (typical grocery store type) the tops will brown and fall over. For hardneck varieties, they will not fall over, rather the bottom leaves will turn brown. Given that you are in zone 10, they might be done. You might try pulling one up to see what you have....

Nowhere near 2 feet, more like 6 inches at the most. Planted the first set October 23rd, second set 6th of November, they aren't under anything more than mel's mix, haven't figure where to get straw or anything that I can use as a good mulch yet, we did have one, maybe two frosts, but nothing major. Pretty sure they aren't done, no way they've been in there long enough from what I read about Garlic, guess I'll just leave it (have a bit of space in my SFG right now anyway, so I'm in no hurry to free up any squares) and then see what happens.

Yeah, I would just leave them alone. A couple of frosts aren't going to set garlic back - its pretty hardy... maybe give a drench of some compost tea...

Arla, That garlic has just barely begun to grow, no worries. Just out of
curiosity, how many hours of daylight are you getting these days? Also
what is your current temp range?

Lets see, about 10-11 hours of daylight at present (7am-6pm roughly), temps are 45-60 approx, trying to find a good site that keeps track of it because I always forget to reset my temperature guage, so my low on my thermometer is still 30 from over the cold snap in Jan.

EatYourVeggies, the seed starting class I just went to at Shorty's last Saturday had a handout with seed starting times for our area. Garlic was listed in late February as well as in October and November, with an asterisk by October indicating this was the best time to plant. Soooo, since I never planted the garlic I bought last fall, I'm going to go ahead and try it in about a week.

And rooster, what do you know, the variety I bought just happens to be Silver Rose. Never tried it before; I picked it because it said it stores really well.

So just to make sure I have this right, I'll be leaving the garlic in clear until fall, right? So I'm thinking I'd want to plant it in the middle of my box, so I'm not having to reach around it all the time? And if anybody has planted in the spring, do I still have to mulch?

arla wrote:Lets see, about 10-11 hours of daylight at present (7am-6pm roughly), temps are 45-60 approx, trying to find a good site that keeps track of it because I always forget to reset my temperature guage, so my low on my thermometer is still 30 from over the cold snap in Jan.

Accuweather has a display of sorts for past temps, high and low.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/el-cerrito-ca/94804/february-weather/327082

Gwennifer: being as how you live just across the Columbia River from us, your garlic growing should be much the same. Sure, get it planted: just break up the heads, select the largest cloves, and push them, pointy side up, into your Mel's Mix. Be sure the end is covered. The whole idea behind planting in October is that the cloves sloooowly make roots so they're ready to burst out of the ground as soon as (depending on variety) the soil warms a bit. Now, I bet the cloves you bought may even have some nubbins of roots showing around their bottom ends. They're eager to grow. I've been known to feel sorry for a large garlic clove as I'm about to chop it up, noted a leaf coming from its tip and aforementioned root nubbins, and planted it in one of the big flower/salad pots on the deck. They grow, but head up with smaller cloves. As to harvest, someone else might be better able to tell you how silver skins mature--not a type I've grown. But watch it closely this summer for signs of maturity, then dig. Our 2011 garlic, planted as usual in October (2010) was 2 weeks later than the 2010 garlic harvest. Nonna

Nonna, thanks for some really great advice/tips on garlic

Gwennifer, we will for sure have to do some comparisons later in the year

ashort wrote:A couple of frosts aren't going to set garlic back - its pretty hardy... maybe give a drench of some compost tea...

I'm having similar issues. What compost tea recipe would be best for this?