garlic, does anyone grow it?

[onethatcares]

I've gotten hooked on the idea of growing my own here in zone 10A, west central coast of Florida. I've watched a ton of youtube videos and it doesn't appear to be too hard or labor intensive.

I will be using the bulb in water in plastic bottles as my starter pots.

Thanks for any personal hints

[Siwsan]

1. It really is a low maintenance thing to grow

There was garlic growing in the gardens, here, when I moved in. It spreads like CRAZY so I just let it do its own thing.

They only tricky part is knowing when to harvest. I wait until around the 2nd week of July, when about 1/3 of the leaves are dry. Also be sure to hang it to 'cure' it, leaves and stalks in tact, for at least 3 weeks. I wait until the stalks and leaves are dry and don't clean it until I am ready to clip the bulbs.

Next year I'm going to remove the scapes from some of the plants to see if that has any effect on the size of the bulb.

[MyOwnPeace]

2. Don't know about zones or 'starter pots'.......

I'm up north in the Pittsburgh area and I always just took my remaining garlic bulbs out in early October (Columbus Day - Italy - Garlic - easy 'reminder' for me!), peeled off cloves and put them into the soil about 2 inches apart and waited until spring! Crazy simple - and kept the same 'strain' going for over 30 years!
I've not tried ANY way to preserve/can/whatever to keep them 'fresh/viable' - just dried them out in late May/June and had a bunch of great flavor through the rest of the year!

Again, I'm a fly-by-night gardener - who knows what I've done wrong or could have done better - but I got a great run with my garlic!

Good luck!

[niyad]

6. I used to store my peeled cloves in a canning jar of vinegar or sherry in the

refrigerator.

[Bristlecone]

3. We planted ours last fall and it grew wonderfully

All spring and summer. The stalks are almost completely fallen over now, so probably time to harvest.

When we planted ours, we covered the planted clove pieces with pine needle straw and did the occasional winter watering.

This at about 6200’ feet elevation in S Denver Metro. Zone 5b, so not quite the same as 10a…

[orthoclad]

8. I usually harvest when

half the leaves turn brown. There's a sweet spot.

Too soon, and the skin doesn't develop enough for it to keep. If you're using it right away, no problem.

Too late, and the cloves start to grow new plants. The skin gets loose.

I let them airdry, then store the whole plants with some of their leaves in paper bags in a cool, dark, dry place. I've had them keep for up to a year.

[Ocelot II]

4. It grows well in my neck of the woods (zone 4), but I don't like it

so I've never grown it. I do know plenty of people who've grown it easily, though.

[erronis]

5. We have a very large garlic farm about a mile from us. Good loamy soil and drainage.

Love garlic. Almost any way. Except when it offends even me in the morning after eating a meal with lots of chopped raw garlic.

Used to work north of Gilroy, CA (The Garlic Capital of the US). The odors wafting up were amazing. Then the Chinese sort of took over shipping garlic to the US. It just wasn't as good and we once again have some wonderful US-grown garlic.

[orthoclad]

7. Easy to grow

you might want to look for a warm weather variety. Some common varieties do better with a cold winter. There are LOTS of varieties.

I like the hardneck varieties best, that send up a "flower" stalk, or "scape". Fewer but larger cloves. The scapes are a delicacy, best harvested before they get tough. I let some mature each year. The "bulbils" they produce are tasty, a more delicate flavor than the cloves. Most bulbils are too small to bother with. Most people cut the scapes early to help the bulb get bigger. The bulbils can be used as seed, but it takes two years to get a bulb from them.

I plant cloves right in the soil and leave them alone.

I scatter bulbils in the vegetable patches to help repel critters.

I've planted any time from August to November in a mid-zone latitude. Right about now might be optimal. Sometimes I use a row cover. Some people cut the tops in winter; I never do. Cutting tops is supposed to reduce frost damage - I don't think you have to worry about that much in Florida.

For the first time, I had some disease problems in one patch last year, but generally no probs with diseases or pests. I scatter bulbils in the vegetable patches to help repel critters.

Biggest tip: work lots of organic material into the soil. Garlic wants light, loose soil that the bulb can push aside for growth.

Garlic is also the best bug repellent I've used. Research shows little or no effect, but I don't think they use raw fresh garlic in the studies. I cut a clove or two up into pill-size and swallow them, or chew it. Mosquitoes approach, then buzz off. The garlic odor comes out through the skin after a few hours. Don't try this if you have to ride crowded elevators .

Garlic is great, especially when you get fresh home-grown. Good food, good spice, good medicine. Enjoy!

[onethatcares]

9. As soon as the bulbs I have grow roots

I'll be putting them in the ground. If you google "growing garlic in water" you'll see what I have in mind.

Thanx for the replies

[orthoclad]

11. Ah! I see

Learn something every day.

Here's an image that startpage.com (I never use giggle; they're evil) gave me:

from https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/how-to-grow-garlic-in-water

I'll have to try this and see how I like the young, tender greens. Greens might be a good use for the smaller cloves; I generally only plant the biggest. And I'll also plant some of the sprouts.

Thanks! Good idea.

[ShepKat]

10. it's one of the easiest up north

and I'd never use plastic, but good luck !

[NewHendoLib]

12. western NC here - I just plant cloves in September, and harvest them in June

I use raised beds. Amazing to plant one clove and harvest one big, plump bulb! Very easy crop - but I am sure there is a growing zone dependency on timing.

[codfisherman]

13. Hard neck purple and soft neck for storage

Have grown a soft neck now for six years here in the piedmont of NC. Added a purple hard neck from Gurneys two years ago. Started with poor clay soil, but hugelkultur and ammending with compost and sand has shown good results. Between the two I harvest a couple hundred bulbs. I clip most of the scapes to eat, but leave some to flower. I like to roast the bulbs in olive oil, squeeze out, vacuum bag, and freeze what hard neck I don't eat by fall. The soft neck I braid and hang. They usually keep through spring.