Garlic is developing --

Today I saw the first garlic scape, (ever) it's a straight stalk coming out the center of the plant with a swelled portion. Time to look up scape recipes, sauté's, etc. One down, rather, one up and 52 more to go. And to think this caused much child-like giddiness...

That IS great! This and your strawberries - it's very exciting times for you, llm!!!

I just side dressed my garlic for the last time today. I don't have any scapes yet (I guess) but can you harvest the scapes before pulling the bulb?

CC

All I know for sure is cutting off the scape sends a message to develop the bulb. But I just read conflicting information when to cut the scape. One article said to cut off the scape after it curls around but before it straightens up. Another said to cut the scape before it curls. I have to pour through the garlic book I have and see what it says. If camprn was online she'd have the answer in an instant. Going off to search the answer in my current favorite book, Growing Great Garlic, by Ron Engeland.

Roasted on the grill!

CapeCoddess wrote:That IS great! This and your strawberries - it's very exciting times for you, llm!!!

I just side dressed my garlic for the last time today. I don't have any scapes yet (I guess) but can you harvest the scapes before pulling the bulb?

CC

Yes, CC this is exciting, I see you have good things going on too! Well my book on garlic did not address scapes, hmm, so I found my planting guide info from Seed Savers. I want to tell you first that it says do not fertilize after May 15th. Let's hope a few days won't make all that much difference for you.

Now about those scapes, it said to "cut or break them off after they are 10" long. They will inhibit bulb growth if allowed to remain."

There you have it. Hope all grows well for you! Camprn, I hadn't thought of roasting on the grill, sounds great.

llama momma wrote: I want to tell you first that it says do not fertilize after May 15th. Let's hope a few days won't make all that much difference for you.

I think it will be OK. Nonna.PapaVino is the one that told me to do it end of May and she's a garlic maven also.

Mmm...bbq'd!

CC

Garlic scapes?? I learned something new today.

I have 6 garlic growing nicely and my goal is to make a small braid, just to do it. Makes sense to cut them off. In the Google photos, the scapes look like the seed pods or flowers. So cutting them off sends the energy back down to making the bulbs, or what ever they are called. You know, the clove bundle thingy. Am I new or what?

CC-
Wouldn't you love to visit some sf gardens like Nonna's? Really I could rattle off at least a dozen others in just a heart beat.

Sanderson-
You got it, bulb is the correct terminology. But I like the casual "clove bundle thingy" you said too! Check out Filaree farm website, great info there. Oh, not all garlic makes scapes, just the hard necks usually.

Llama mama, Hard necks?? More research coming up!!!

I have an elephant garlic sending up a scape. Is it handled the same way. It is straight and tall.

This was planted last Oct, I'm very pleased at the way it is developing.
No scapes yet, probably another month they will appear

sanderson wrote:Llama mama, Hard necks?? More research coming up!!!

Here is a good place to learn about garlic
http://www.filareefarm.com/
and a great book on garlic is Growing Great Garlic, by Ron Engeland

I have over 300 garlic.... ( I wanted to grow enough to last me all year), and no sign of scapes yet, and I thought LM, that we were in the same zone. Perhaps tomorrow I will check more closely for scapes. I have a few softnecks that Nonna gave me that really do not seem to like the cold. Perhaps it is just too cold here for soft neck garlic. Cheers to everyone.... as we wait for our scapes. All I know is that last year we had scapes on my sons birthday which is the 18th of june

Thanks for the link LM! Great site! Going to order for this fall.

GG

Lindacol- elephant garlic sounds like fun, it is mild tasting I believe and is treated like garlic yet is actually a type of leek right?? Is it fussy or easy to grow???

Jimmy cee- your plants are so gorgeous looking, keep that picture and show it off lol!

Sanderson – I’m basically a first year garlic grower/lover so I watch any threads on garlic and learn a lot from others on this forum. You’ll find more garlic topics if you type garlic in the white search box above/left side of page.

GWN – 300 garlic whoa, I would love to be the proud owner of that many. But for now have to be content with last Autumns’ 5 starter bulbs that are giving me this summers’ 50 + bulbs. My zone is 5b-6a-ish. The boxes are getting over 12 hrs full sunlight at this time, maybe pushing the scape development into a higher gear than your area?

Goosegirl - Filaree is a site I’ve heard Camp mention a lot, I got mine from Seed Savers last Autumn, so far very pleased at least at this early stage.
Maybe all us garlic lovers would like to talk garlic in a chat mode this evening? Just a thought.

Filaree interesting is just across the border from Canada and the company I bought all of my garlic from is just across the border IN CANADA..., so both companies are very close. Perhaps it is a great place to grow garlic

llama momma wrote:Maybe all us garlic lovers would like to talk garlic in a chat mode this evening? Just a thought.

Sounds good! Hubby will be in the Man Cave watching the Coca Cola 600.

GG

It does not look like I will be lucky and get scapes, but would you look at the bulbs I went out and pulled the dirt back from. Looks like I will have a barrel load of garlic very soon and I will roast some on the grill like camprn suggested.

These are Early Italian from Burpee and were planted October 5, 2012.

Bob,

Your garlic looks fantastic! I cant wait to plant my own this coming fall. Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Yummy! Can't wait hear how good they taste.

GG - when I post I can't see your time zone, you thinking of a garlic chat around 6pm eastern time?

bnoles wrote:

These are Early Italian from Burpee and were planted October 5, 2012.

Bob, did you plant seeds or does Burpee sell sets (which I've never seen)?

CC

Garlic looks great Bob. I was going to plant in the fall and went to Pikes to see if I could get some bulbs. The lady there told me we do not plant garlic in the fall in Georgia so I planted mine in the spring. They are not doing very well. I guess she was wrong because yours look fantastic.

llama momma wrote:Yummy! Can't wait hear how good they taste.

GG - when I post I can't see your time zone, you thinking of a garlic chat around 6pm eastern time?

I will get the margarita made by then!

GG

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Bob, did you plant seeds or does Burpee sell sets (which I've never seen)?

CC[/quote]

I bought these as sets

yolos wrote:Garlic looks great Bob. I was going to plant in the fall and went to Pikes to see if I could get some bulbs. The lady there told me we do not plant garlic in the fall in Georgia so I planted mine in the spring. They are not doing very well. I guess she was wrong because yours look fantastic.

Thanks yolos! Plant in the fall and harvest in June is what I have always read.