Re: Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow?

cpl100 3/14/2013, 12:20 pm

meatburner wrote:
cpl100 wrote:Yeah!!! I finally did something right in the garden!
yes you did. I don't have the cold low temps you do so I can get by with much less mulch. I so much enjoy how everyone has to do thing a little different and they all work. Life is good!

Our opinion differs: I would much prefer a single hard and fast rule that always works.

**camprn** 3/14/2013, 12:39 pm

cpl100 wrote:
meatburner wrote:
cpl100 wrote:Yeah!!! I finally did something right in the garden!
yes you did. I don't have the cold low temps you do so I can get by with much less mulch. I so much enjoy how everyone has to do thing a little different and they all work. Life is good!

Our opinion differs: I would much prefer a single hard and fast rule that always works.

LOL, perhaps gardening isn't for you then. Not much is written in stone... There are of course the rules of physics, biology and physiology, that's the science part. Most of the rest is from observation and art and skill. As usual, skill requires quite a bit of practice....

Hang in there!

mollyhespra 3/14/2013, 2:49 pm

Well--I didn't mulch, either. At all. I decided not to after DH mentioned one day last fall that he happened to bike past the farmer that we usually buy garlic from & that they stopped & chatted and our farmer happened to be planting his garlic. Some weeks later, DH rode past the same field & he noticed: no mulch.

I suppose it's possible the farmer was just late in covering the crop, but I figured why not just leave 'em be and see what happens, especially since I've got some cloves in there that came from said farmer's garlic, so maybe they've already been "toughened up" as it were, LOL.

NightMist 3/14/2013, 3:56 pm

Some years ago I was going to order a bulb of Rojas to plant. A hardneck reputed to do well in my area, made sense to me.

DH however was horrified at the notion of spending a whole $5 for a head of garlic Rolling Eyes

So he conned me into waiting to see what was available locally, and then just took a head of grocery store garlic and planted the cloves anywhere alium hating insects might be troublesome, especially around the roses.
Darned if that garlic didn't just take off!
The most mulching it gets is when we rake the leaves over the beds in the fall. We just take a head out when we harvest and replant right then. It is the one thing I can always count on DH helping with because he loves the scapes a LOT.

**Turan** 3/30/2013, 9:58 pm

At last I see signs of garlic sprouting. Whew I was getting worried.

GWN 3/31/2013, 10:14 am

We just take a head out when we harvest and replant right then.

thats interesting. what month do you harvest?

NightMist 3/31/2013, 1:47 pm

GWN wrote:
We just take a head out when we harvest and replant right then.
thats interesting. what month do you harvest?

The month the green part browns and keels over.
Same way we do big onions and shallots.
Garlic usually goes last, in mid to late fall. in drier warmer years it goes more quickly than other years.
We always miss some because of the haphazard way it is planted. It doesn't seem to hurt it at all to get an extra year. It just divides more so you get a good deal of it from the one spot. I swear my DH misses some on purpose because the older garlic puts out more scapes. Smile

Shallots of course generally go in June, we don't replant those like garlic we wait for fall.

Dunkinjean 5/21/2013, 9:36 pm

Since I am going to be out of state for the weekend, I am hoping to check my Chinese Pink garlic more thoroughly to see if I can harvest them. Apparently they are suppose to be ready in June. I am a little nervous because I checked one small garlic and there was just one little round bulb. Does anyone know what may have happened or is this normal? Or is it too early?

**camprn** 5/21/2013, 9:45 pm

Too early. Did you top dress with compost or give it a boost of compost tea??

GWN 5/22/2013, 12:09 am

I have some chinese pinks and I have been watching them closely for signs of being ready however, they look the thinnest and most gangly of the whole garlic crop. If they are going to be early, they ARE going to be small. Perhaps it is too cold here for them.

Nonna.PapaVino 5/22/2013, 10:08 am

This is my second year raising Chinese Pink. Last year the CP was ready for picking two weeks before the St. Helens Red (mid-June and SHR around July 4). Counting on the second year acclimatization of the CP to this area, I shall expect a larger sized bulb and, hopefully, even earlier maturity. How warm is this time of year in New Jersey? Out here we usually see a spurt of growth in garlic when the weather really warms up, then the bulbs fill out and the lower leave start to die back, indicating harvest time is close. GWN, Have y'all had this unusual string of warm and dry weeks this year like Western Oregon? If not, I'd guess your maturity date for garlic may be later, at least this year, because it's still getting used to your growing conditions. Keep us posted, okay? Nonna

GWN 5/22/2013, 11:51 am

YES we have had very warm weather and VERY little rain (that is until yesterday) My garlic seem to be HUGE, up to my waist, and for the hard necks no signs of scapes as yet. I have tried to dig down with one finger to see how big the heads actually are, but what you have just written NONNA is helpful, since we do have another month and a half at least.
I love the appearance that all the garlic gives to my garden Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow? - Page 8 Img_1010

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow? - Page 8 Img_1010

**llama momma** 5/22/2013, 4:21 pm

Down here in Ohio I've been waiting for scapes too, only to find out it's still early...I was hoping to get the garlic out and plant corn in a particular bed in mid June but it doesn't look like it'll happen. Again, the blessed plant management learning curve.. I needed sf gardening about 20 years ago to eliminate these kinds of rookie mistakes.

GWN 5/22/2013, 4:34 pm

I was hoping to get the garlic out and plant corn in a particular bed in mid June but it doesn't look like it'll happen

Too bad LM. I have planted some cucumber seeds around the garlic, because they seem to usually take forever to really get going and hopefully I will have the garlic out of there before they really need the space.
I am going to plant carrots where the garlic is I think...

**llama momma** 5/22/2013, 5:10 pm

That sounds good GWN. I was so excited last fall and planted over 50 cloves in various squares across all the beds. Didn't realize it would've been better to plant all in their own bed for those long 9 months or so!

**camprn** 5/22/2013, 5:53 pm

llama momma wrote:That sounds good GWN. I was so excited last fall and planted over 50 cloves in various squares across all the beds. Didn't realize it would've been better to plant all in their own bed for those long 9 months or so!

Ahhhhhhhh............ the old live and learn lessons of gardening. dangit

**llama momma** 5/22/2013, 5:57 pm

With no other gardening experience but sfg, I was in full Mel-mode and spreading out plants in different places,
silly me

Dunkinjean 5/23/2013, 12:29 am

Nonna,
The weather here in NJ has been a bit erratic; this current week has been low to mid 80's and humid, end of last week and weekend a lot of rain., before that cool. Tomorrow is going to be high 70's then get cooler. When I return after the weekend (leaving tom afternoon) I will take pictures.
Today I did add compost to the garlic. The 2 bottom leaves are brown.
According to what I read about Chinese Pink Garlic it stated it should be ready in June.
I am a bit worried because last year I planted Late Italian Garlic and waited a little late. Luckily most of it was okay.
Thank you everyone for your help. Have a great holiday weekend!

Nonna.PapaVino 5/24/2013, 12:02 am

Dunkinjean, the Filaree Farm's website has good advice on planting, growing and harvesting garlic. http://www.filareefarm.com/growing.html Most of my garlic has been purchased over the years from this provider, and I trust their advice. It would appear your garlic, with two lower leaves turning brown, are getting close to harvest, but aren't yet there. Nonna

cpl100 6/5/2013, 9:35 pm

I was away for most of May and therefor have not done anything to my garlic (top dressing, compost tea, etc.). I read in one thread that it might be too late for that now.

Should I or shouldn't I? I do have scapes on some of the garlic. WOOHOO!

Dunkinjean 6/13/2013, 9:10 pm

Okay, I picked some puny Late Italian Garlic since they were falling over and looked ready. Below is a picture of them.
Why are they so little? There are bigger ones in the garden but I think they are not ready to be picked. I will take a picture of them tom. and then post.

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow? - Page 8 Garden10

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow? - Page 8 Garden10

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garlic grow? - Page 8 Garden11

Nonna.PapaVino 6/13/2013, 9:33 pm

Dunkinjean, Either the garlic you pulled is not yet fully ripe (a suspicion I have due to too many leaves being green--usually almost half of the leaves have turned gold/yellow when bulb is mature), or you have a disease organism in your crop. I lean toward immaturity. Having said that, take one of the bulbs (to the left in your picture) and smell it. If it smells like garlic and clean dirt, it's just immature. If there is a funny chemical/petroleum smell, it's been hit by a disease and you should burn the whole thing. Let us know what you find out. Best wishes, Nonna

**donnainzone5** 6/13/2013, 9:42 pm

Although I'm certainly no garlic expert, the ones to the left appear to be diseased.

GWN 6/13/2013, 11:55 pm

We have been having Scapes for dinner for the past week, and I assured my son that soon we would be moving into peas and then on to beans, and we would not be seeing this wonderful delicacy for another whole year. ... Thats the thing about eating things in season.... happy smile

**Turan** 6/14/2013, 1:26 am

We are seeing our first scapes too, on hte Purple Glazier, the Bavarian seems later.
The plan this weekend is the first picking of Broccoli raab with scapes hungry

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