How tall should my garlic plants be now? I planted them in late November. I checked out two books from the library on growing garlic and it sounded like mine should be quite a bit taller than they are! Worried!!!
I planted in good soil, have been meticulous about weeding, we live in the PNW so no worries about watering.
How tall is everyone's garlic? At least everyone in zone 7 or colder?
Garlic question
Most of my garlic is 14" or more at this point, relatively the same growing conditions as you maybe a bit colder. I have several varieties that didn't do well though, would have to check to see what they are.
I'll have to measure mine when I get home!
I'd have to measure mine, too - but I'm guessing they are about 12"
lol - I just went out and checked. Mine are waist high. Does that seem wrong?
But yeah, I'm further south and we've had wacky weather. I just never knew they could get that tall...
I think it depends on the varieties but the photos I've seen, some get super tall. Which is why I started to get concerned! Now I'm dying to get home and measure. LOL
I grew garlic once before. It did all the things it was supposed to do, looked fabulous, but at the end, when I went to pull up the garlic heads, there were none! I was soooo disappointed. I was told it was because I didn't keep the weeds out. Which is why I've been so careful this time. So it's sort of disappointing to see it not be as tall and lush as the last time.
Admittedly, here in North Carolina garlic grows like weeds, but I think Gwendalou is correct - it probably depends on the variety as to how tall it will grow.
Gwendalou - did you wait until the tops had dies before pulling your garlic?
I agree, it depends on your variety, growing area, and weather situation. However, this past fall, I had to use garlic bulbs I had purchased instead of my own saved garlic (long story). So I purchased some garlic at a garlic festival in the fall. The guy I bought it from, was apologizing that they were a bit old as harvest time is in the summer and he complained that they hold the festival too late (I agree). Anyway, I don't know how they stored it, but it was a bit dried out and some cloves unusable. I put the biggest, plumpest, best cloves in one area. Then decided to plant a few of the less good cloves in another bed directly across from the good ones. Well, the smaller, not so good cloves, have produced plants that are much smaller than the nice big cloves. So all this to say, the stock you start with, probably has an effect as well as to how big a plant you get and how big a bulb you end up with as well.
Jen
I have some mature bulbs that I planted last fall, late October-early November. Those are about 2' tall. I also planted some small bulbules that have extremely hard shells. Only one of those has sprouted and it's about 12" tall.
I'm growing garlic for the first time - planted it late last fall. When do I harvest it and how will I know it's ready? Thx
Gardengirl -- the tops will start dying back (turning yellow and dry) when it's done, but don't let them die back completely; you need to harvest when there are at least a couple of green leaves left, or there won't be any wrapper around the garlic bulb. (Voice of experience here!)
Sandy
Honeybee, yes, I did wait til the outer leaves had died back but not fully to the inside. However, some of them were the kind that made curly-cue scapes and I didn't pop those off. But still some of them would have produced something, one would think!
Okay, I went home at lunch and checked and altho I didn't measure with a tape, they are at least 12-18 inches tall, but not really as many leaves and not as 'thick' as I would expect. They just don't look as 'lush' as I think they should. But we'll see. If I get anything at all from them, I'll be happy.
I got the cloves from a fellow DG in the PNW. There are about 5 or 6 varieties, but I couldn't tell you offhand what they are.
the first time I planted (unsuccessfully), I got my cloves from a local gardener. Both that time and this time, I planted everything. I really didn't look at the cloves to inspect for condition. I just got a book from the library and apparently you shouldn't plant anything with mold or soft spots and several other unsatisfactory things. So maybe that's my problem, I'm not careful with what I'm planting. But both people that gave me the cloves have grown garlic successfully.
I also planted onion sets for the first time. A friend bought too many and gave me a bundle. There must have been 50 sets in that bundle! I have a lot of onions! I ended up having to plant them close together because there were so many but I read you can do that and then harvest every other one early to use as 'green onions' (which we use a ton of), so hopefully that's what will work out. I got some mature onions from his garden last year and they were huge and awesome.
I just LOVE homegrown produce!
Gwendalou - I'm home now and have measured the height of the garlic - they are 34". I also checked the date planted - October 12th last year. I usually pull them in June - last year that was June 6th for cloves set in 2008.
34" is very respectable! I guess I'm going to have to get mine in earlier. You keep good records!!!
I couldn't resist going outside again and photographing the onions and garlic. There are more onions on the other side of the garlic. The onions in front are "Candy Red" the garlic are offspring from a variety I purchased at the supermarket in 2008.
I set the largest cloves hoping to get large garlic.
Gwendalou - after I joined Daves Garden (March of last year) I started to keep a journal. This year, I am saving all my notes in my lap top. I purchased my camera last summer so I could add photos to my journal and share them with y'all.
Wow, your garlic is a lot 'thicker' than mine and you planted a lot closer together. I'll try and find time to get some photos and post but it may not be until Sunday as I'm subbing at the school today and tomorrow and am also getting ready for a dinner party on Sat night.
They're about six inches apart. I use the metal part of my trowel as a measure, which looks to be about six inches :) The onions are about four inches apart. "Candies" don't grow too big here.
Here's last year's crop
Not too shabby! Are those shallots? I want to grow those too. I tried along with the garlic 2 years ago and again nada. I didn't get them in this year but next year for sure.
Yes, some are shallots. I buy them from the supermarket and set the cloves just like garlic. I didn't set any last fall because there where still some in the ground from the year before. It will be interesting to see what they are like when I pull them later this year.
You are in the same zone as me - I set my garlic and shallots in the fall. I would do the same with onions if they were available. My "Candies" were set Feb 20th of this year. I think this is why they don't grow large bulbs. I've tried growing onions from seed, without success. Perhaps I should start them indoors.
I tried from seed and they were beyond puny. My friend with the great onions puts his in the ground in the spring. He's the same zone as I am.
Do you know what kind he grows? As I understand it, we have to grow "day neutral" varieties in our zone.
I don't know what kind. I'm not even sure if he knows. I think he just goes and buys the bundles from the feed store when they arrive in the spring. But I'll ask next time I talk to them.