Garlic

I saw referenced here that garlic planting is 9 cloves per s.f. For some reason I couldn't find that in Mel's book?

Is that about right, or does it make for a crowded square?

That's how I planted mine and they are doing great. I can't remember if they were in the book but I figured that they grow like onions so 9 per square would work.

NHGardener, you are right garlic is not listed in the book.
But 9 per square seems to be the prevailing thought. As I searched the specialty garlic farms online I keep reading that to grow the biggest bulbs, space them 6 inches apart in a traditional row garden. For us that would translate into 4 per square. But of course with our high compost levels we can plant more heavily. Personally I am trying out 4 per square anyway! I would like huge bulbs and decided to give them more room. It takes a couple years to attain largest size possible and decided to baby them. See if it pays off, or if I'm wasting too many squares with this low density/bigger bulbs theory....

Ooh, llama, that's a good idea. I will try some squares with 9, and some with 4, and see how much difference it makes.

So size of head is not determined only by the type of garlic, but by the space to grow them?

That's what I'm reading anyway... that they prefer elbow room and being heavy feeders seems to factor in their bulb size. And it takes a couple years supposedly for the cloves to get use to the local soil conditions and reach full potential size.
I should have used your method and planted 4 cloves and others 9 to a square, doh! Now I wait and see if someone comes along and blows all of this out of the water by telling us they grew huge 3 inch bulbs their first year!

I thought garlic was an annual? You're growing yours for 2 years?

Maybe you mean you replant the bulbs of the same garlic.

I wish it was ME that said I grew huge garlic, but I haven't even planted mine yet. I got one bulb at a Farmers Market and the gal told me to plant it on Halloween. Wonder how many I'll get from one bulb?

Another gal told me to plant only the larger outside cloves and eat the rest. Is that how you do it?

CC

CapeCoddess, I just bought 10 garlic bulbs from the farmer's market today. It looks like they have about 7 cloves each (I haven't opened one yet) so I'm going to plant all 7 of each bulb. The farmer said she likes to get her garlic in before November (not too early so the shoots don't grow) and then harvests mid-July.

NHGardener wrote:I thought garlic was an annual? You're growing yours for 2 years?

Maybe you mean you replant the bulbs of the same garlic.

Yes, planting the largest cloves from the same garlic and eat the little ones!

I've never planted it before this year... But I referenced the Garlic Friday Rookie Topic article on here.

I spaced by garlic based on the size of the clove. I read that the larger cloves will grow larger heads. The spacing I used is between 5 to 16 a square, and I have 8 squares total. It will be interesting to see how everything worked out.

At harvest time we should compare notes....

Thanks NHG, good to know! I'm sure come harvest time there will be threads on the forum to remind me that it's time, right?

It's a dang big bulb, my one bulb. Maybe I'll plant the outer bigger cloves 4/sq, and do the inner smaller ones 9/sq and see what happens.

LM, have you ever tried planting the littler inside cloves? If so, what happens?

CC

CC
This was my first time buying large specialty bulbs, I planted supermarket garlic last autumn and the bulbs were all smallish. So the ones I grew were ok but small.

As far as planting, when you look at the bulb the bottom may still have root hairs on it. The top of the cloves are pointy, plant with the point up. Cover with a good inch of soil. The cloves may have a couple layers of a paper-like covering. The instructions I got said to remove the outer layers but leave the inside layer on. Also, garlic likes compost, lucky us square foot gardeners, we got that one covered. I put a little extra compost in the planting hole with worm castings.

CapeCoddess wrote:I wish it was ME that said I grew huge garlic, but I haven't even planted mine yet. I got one bulb at a Farmers Market and the gal told me to plant it on Halloween. Wonder how many I'll get from one bulb?

Another gal told me to plant only the larger outside cloves and eat the rest. Is that how you do it?

CC

+1

CapeCoddess wrote:Thanks NHG, good to know! I'm sure come harvest time there will be threads on the forum to remind me that it's time, right?

It's a dang big bulb, my one bulb. Maybe I'll plant the outer bigger cloves 4/sq, and do the inner smaller ones 9/sq and see what happens.

LM, have you ever tried planting the littler inside cloves? If so, what happens?

CC

That big bulb ...... it should contain a dozen or so cloves each clove when planted usually grows up to be a new big bulb several months later.

May I suggest you bung up a picture of your big bulb with a ruler to show how big it is .
It may be an " elephant garlic " which is a member of the onion family .

Call up Papa non vino .... he plays garlic like others play base ball

OK, here she is, some kind of Bulgarian or other country that starts with a B, can't remember which:


Only 6 cloves on the outside.

CC

Please, how many inches is that bulb? I can't see the measurement as this old computer makes pictures too dark.

I read there is supposedly 300 varieties of garlic and over time it turns out that some are actually the same variety but different names. (of course the article didn't say which ones!)
Different varieties have different number of cloves. The German Red I purchased had 8-10 cloves per bulb. I guess its no big deal if some other kinds have 12 or another has 7 cloves per bulb. Looks like planting the largest cloves is the best way no matter what you start with.

Could it be Bavarian Purple? Ours aren't as large as yours, and appear a bit lighter in color, but for a new first year variety, it did grow pretty large. B-P usually has 6 to 8 cloves in a head. Does that square with your beauty? Nonna

CapeCoddess wrote:Bulgarian or other country that starts with a B, can't remember which:

YES! That's it, Nonna...Bavarian Purple! The seller said somewhat mild in flavor. Does that sound right for Bavarian?

The bulb is 3 inches, LM. There may be a setting on your monitor that will allow you to lighten the screen a bit. I just push the buttons until something happens.

CC

CC
When I received my 5 German Reds they were 3 inches too. I was astounded. To me they were gigantic-ly incredible since I never saw garlic bulbs that size before.
And thanks about the monitor adjustments, although I have adjusted all I can, I think, hope, and pray, that Santa will bring me a computer.

I really like the flavor of the Bavarian Purple and am saving the largest cloves to replant this fall. The other new variety this year that I found delectible was Asian Tempest, a hardneck with very good garlic taste. These two will be featured in a new bed with Chesnook Red and Inchellium Red. A small corner will go to Chinese Pink, not because it's that good tasting--rather bland--but because it's incredible early. In late Spring, fresh and kinda bland beats tasty but dried out and sprouting, in my book. Nonna

Just when I thought I'd settled on all the garlic we wanted to plant, I decided we needed more (a lot of this years' crop is going into canning and being roasted). So I ordered Killarney Red and Island Rocambole from Filaree Garlic Farms to round out the planting. And this is why I really like dealing with Filaree: a note to me about the garlic shipment:

"Dear N, You ordered two 1/4 lbs of Killarney Red. I will give you the 1/2 lb
price and refund $3.00. Also, USPS Priority is cheaper than UPS
Ground. I will refund another $6.65.
Best, Phoebe"

Now that's the kind of service that keeps us coming back to Filaree for garlic! Nonna

You are truly the Garlic Maven, Nonna! Thanks for the great lead on Filaree.

CC

I don't know, CapeCoddess, that bulb of garlic in your avatar looks pretty darn big. Well grown! Nonna

Speaking of garlic, my elephant garlic order arrived yesterday all packaged up neatly in little labelled mesh bags...BUT some of the cloves (they arrived in cloves vs. the whole bulb intact) have lost part or most of their innermost layer of skin. I think I may have been the culprit in trying to count how many cloves I got without opening the bag--I think I rubbed them together too roughly which I think loosened the skins, but regardless, the point of my post is to ask if I can plant them "in the buff" so to speak. I've never planted any type of garlic before, so I'm a complete noob when it comes to this...so...before I convince myself to just eat the nekkid cloves, any advice?

OH, and P.S. I read somewhere (maybe in this forum?) to plant elephant garlic in the spring, not fall...any thoughts on this? I'm in zone 4, so maybe if I give 'em a good blanket of mulch they'll be OK?