Is anyone deep into the world of growing garlic? I have become fascinated with the bulbous flowering plant. I want to get some in the ground but plain old grocery store garlic is not enough for me. I want to grow some more exotic varieties and I am looking for recommendations and sources. Also tips and tricks to growing it in my backyard. I would love to grow a bunch of varieties rather than a whole backyard of just one type.
Obviously I have stumbled upon a few types and Elephant Garlic is all over the place even though it’s not really garlic I have discovered. Snow Mountain garlic is very interesting to me but I haven’t found a source for seeds or planting bulbs.
Looking forward to all the garlic products I can make after harvest but most curious about black garlic.
I have found there are several ways to start garlic and it got me thinking… are people making new types of garlic? How is cross breeding possible? Must be from the flowers that can develop on the “scapes”? I gotta look into this more.
I have a metric ton of Wild Garlic. Never could grow actual Garlic, I’m told it likes Sandy Soil type. Check Gurneys Seed Co for a Giant Wala Wala that’s the size of a softball. Had my eye on that.
Addit: If you want to have Garlic Forever, plant some wild garlic. Easiest thing in the world to propagate. “Oops I dropped it” easy.
I grow garlics and I’m in the midwest, I grow grocery store garlic and plant them in November throughout the winter and they will pop up in the Spring time…
I am getting the following from my local community gardens via preorder:
Chesnok Red Hard Neck
German Hard Neck
Music Hard Neck
They aren’t listing any soft neck varieties at this time. I do want to try growing softneck as well to experience the differences. From my research the soft neck keeps for up to twice as long as hard neck. Some other types I am considering below but please give me your recs!
Our very first one ever lol! It’s small and I may have pulled it up early. This fall we’re gona plant a row.
Any idea where to get really good garlic seeds, if there’s such a thing?? Since growing canna, I have this ridiculous need to start EVERYTHING from seed now lol
From my research, the flowers that come out of the scapes (if you dont remove them) will eventually produce seeds. So yes they are a thing! You can grow from seed or from bulbs.
Garlic?? You betcha!
I guess I’ve been growing garlic for 10 years or so. Right now I do 500 head. I’ve gone as high as 1800
I grow only hardnecks. Music, German Red, Romanian Red, Susan Delafield and Bogatyr.
Tips.hmm
don’t use garlic from the store
Definitely save your own seed as that garlic will grow better in year three. It’ll adjust to your conditions.
There are two harvests with hardnecks. Scapes and then the bulbs. Hardnecks rule in that respect.
Learn to feed your garlic. When I harvest, I sprinkle out Black eyed peas (from the soup bean ailse) over the garlic bed…like salting your food. Then I use the pitchfork to lift the bulbs. As I lift, the beans get planted. I can get 2 crops of beans in after the garlic before frost. I cut and till in each when they start to flower. This also has a benefit regarding crop rotation. I grow my garlic in the same beds each season and this effectively rotates my crops. . Using this system I NEVER use fertilizer. It will feed the garlics very well.
It’s better by far to harvest a week early than a week late. Each leaf on the plant is one wrapper layer on the bulbs. Try to harvest with 4 green leaves if you are looking to store it.
On the day you harvest, cut the stalk about 7-9" long, then cut off the roots, then from the top of the stalk, peel the outside layer down. Doing it this way will clean the garlic perfectly. Needs to done within a day of harvest. Keeps the dirt off you countertop
As for elephant garlic I really am not a fan. It’s too bland…but, those scapes are tasty. But instead of eating the el garlic scapes I cut them and put them in a vase. They are amazing looking and last forever. So I have some out there. It’s nice to never have to dig them unless you are harvesting or thinning. They can take over.
Roasting garlic or garlic scapes for that matter is one of my fave’s. A little olive oil and salt and bake till they caramelize, it’s like garlic candy.
I don’t know why this book has gotten ridiculously expensive, but if you can find a reasonably affordable copy, it’s worth it. Fantastic book. I lent my copy out a year ago and haven’t gotten it back…
I’ve been growing garlic over 10 years, like @willie
Got my first seed clove from Territorial seed, and other varieties here and there on the internet and at farmers markets. By far, my favorite variety is Pescadero Red. It’s in the “creole” group of hardnecks which means I can grow it here in the south. It does well every year and keeps almost a year - far longer than most of the other varieties I grow. For softnecks, I like Okrent and Susanville.
So easy to grow, I can’t believe more people don’t grow it.
After checking into some garlic I felt would be worth the time and space they all seemed to have a very short growing season here so I through in the towel. **Definitely look into your local (town/city/county/state)agricultural extension for the best advice of what grows when for your region **
I do grow wild allium, it’s invasive here but grows everywhere already around so I made a few patches. I also grow some other types of allium…
I collect the seeds and could send some to some if interested. Of course the entire plant is edible so I make use of different parts throughout its cycling.
I’ll dig up some pics from my garden but Allium canadense (Meadow Garlic, Wild Garlic, Wild Onion) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
I would begin by reproducing what I would most like to eat.Progress to what you want to eat and keep .Learn the preservation system in case you have a bumper crop year one.Also Shallots are a similar habit and a different great food.GL
Thanks @willie! I knew overgrow would have some garlic heads wandering around. What a great and thoughtful reply. Exactly the type of info I was hoping for. We have many raised beds but they are all full at this time. I was thinking about growing garlic right in the ground in the back have of my yard. I never put any weed killers or anything really on my lawn. Let me know if you have any tips to help prepare the ground. I am thinking I will put down some cardboard to kill off the grass and wild strawberries in the area i want to grow garlic. Many places suggest putting down a straw mulch after planting. Others use rolls of weed barrier with holes cut in it. Open to suggestions. I was also thinking it might be a good idea to add some compost to the area soon since I will be planting in the next couple months. Great trick with the black eyed peas, I think i understand what you are doing with them.
I greatly expanded my garden using garlic as the pioneer crop. You also get “sod” energy when planting where there was grass. That only for the first season, lol. But yes, go ahead and till that area and prep it now. I would even plant BEP’s now. Remove all the nasty perennial weeds and any stones that might be problematic. Turn the grass under and get rid of the wild strawberry. Garlic does not like company. Btw, I plant 8" apart. Tried 6" but that lead to small heads.
I’d rather use bark mulch than straw. Both will work but bark is once and straw needs to be reapplied.
Compost is the best but it is difficult to come up with enough for me. So I use it only for weed and tomatoes Depends on how many you grow.
Below are some pics of a single bed. You’ll see there is a bit of plant material in there. 50% of the improvements are already underground (roots) 50% is above ground. If you want mulch, the 2nd round of BEP’s you just cut and leave on the surface after you plant your cloves.
The first two pics show the bep’s when they are ready to cut
Garlic is a really satisfying plant to grow, damn near hands off. I grow hard neck garlic in a raised bed, soil is old grow soil so lots of perlite. I plant my best cloves from the prior year in October, and lay on an inch or two of good compost. Don’t have to do anything other than stay on top of weeds, and water if it has been really dry.
I got mine from Botanical Interests, I think Montana Nemo is the strain? Purple wrappers, spicy and buttery, yum!
Some places don’t send garlic until the fall, but keep an eye out, when they come back into stock they tend to sell quick!
The new BEP’s will grow from now until around thanksgiving. That bunch will get weed wacked at the surface, the tops removed, then planted with garlic, then the tops put back on top of the bed as mulch. I’ll post when I plant the garlic.
Planted that bed above today, along with a few others I got in over 400 cloves in about 3 hours. I use this home made tool for planting. It has 2 speeds faster than you and much faster than you. Bolts/holes are 8" on center. Wood is mahogany and the handle came from a snow shovel. 100 cloves an hour is fairly easy to do Punching 6 holes at a clip adds up.
I keep wanting to plant some garlic. I read about a variety in this thread that does well with the heat where I’m at.
Creole or red cajun or something similar. It’d be cool to order some. I only grow wild allium which is decent. It just started to come back up for the year, dies off mid summer.
When I hit a patch with the mower it smells delicious
lol! It’s small and I may have pulled it up early. This fall we’re gona plant a row.
Depends on how many you grow.
Punching 6 holes at a clip adds up.
