I haven't tried any of my own yet. I had some I don't want to waste. I have mine in the pantry in the basement. Can't seem to get the pantry down as low as it should be tho. It runs about 52. I would like it about 5 degrees lower. The basement is heated. But 52 is better than the heat in the house.
Garlic bulb size for planting
Jnette, once you eat your fresh garlic you will be ruined for life! There is nothing more heavenly than some roasted fresh garlic-cut the tops off a little then drizzle olive oil on it-roast til you can squeeze a clove out of it's nest---yum!
I have never tried the roasted even tho I have heard it is so good. Several years ago I bought one of those terra cotta garlic roasters. Have never used it. Is that how you roast yours? If so, do you soak it in water first or anything? I have heard people say they wrap it in foil.
The terracotta roasters are good but not a necessity. We do one whole bulb per person, and just use any type of pan to roast in. I don't cover them, just drizzle olive oil and roast at about 350-
Garlic (or shallots) left in the ground too long will start to grow from within the bulb. Worse in shallots and leeks, but it changes the nature of the bulbs for storage, as Ernie said above. I hate it when I shilly-shally too long to dig them!
LOL, then Darius, don't shilly-shally. Get busy and do it. How many do you plant that they are such a big job?
I used to plant several varieties each year, a total of around 150-200 cloves, when I was doing my trials to see what did best here. I got very discouraged because the area I 'chose' got flooded almost every year. The weeds thrived, far better than the garlic. It was the weeds that got me!
Right now I'm in the process of turning some of the hard clay 'lawn' area (higher up from the creek) into a new planting area. I don't till, so it may be 2-3 years before I have soil suitable for any vegetables that produce below ground.
I made a raised bed and have my garlic in about 2/3 of it and horseradish in the other 1/3. I do like the raised bed. This was my first year for garlic. I don't plant anywhere near what you are talking about so I can see it isn't just a little job. Yes, the weeds will get you every time. That is why I like the raised bed. If I were to make another one tho I would use a weed block in the bottom. I don't get many weeds in this one and mainly just shallow ones that seeded from the top. But, just a note on the weed block.
I keep my fresh garlic until it starts to show sprouts. Then I also chop it up in the blender with a touch of olive oil and freeze it in 1 T quantities. Those little bottles of minced garlic you can buy, I'm quite sure the garlic all comes from China even if it's locally prepared.
Darius,
Why don't you till?
Tilling is damaging to the microbial populations... plus it brings up dormant weed seeds, contributes to soil depletion, yada, yada. There are numerous books on no-till (like Ruth Stout), and even organic commercial farmers are doing some no-till. Rodale touts it highly, and has even adapted machinery for it.
Darius,
You just confirmed what I have learned and/or pieced together about the practice of tilling.
Thanks!
Linda
Linda, it's all education PLUS mindset. Often the education/exposure seeps between our ears without sticking (or making sense), esp. when it contradicts what we've "always known".
Reading Gaia's Garden has helped open a greater sense of how I should be doing my garden. (I'm not sure he ever mentions no-till specifically, but his concepts mesh).