It's just about time to harvest my elephant garlic! I started growing it 3 years ago (?) from bulbs Josephine gave out at a fall RU. Each year the amount I have planted has increased. Some of the plants have already started falling over.
GarlicAlmost Time to Harvest!
Very nice Stephanie, I see you cut off the bloom stalks, good job!
Mine is not quite ready yet, I like to let it mature a little more.
Wow I would like to grow that! I hope you guys show pictures after you harvest it. :)
The crazy winds we've had recently haven't helped it stay upright!! LOL
Sylvia, this is my very first garlic harvest a couple of years ago.
lol Pretty impressive improvement!
Mine is just sturdy as can be. I'm getting really impatient.
Of course I want some Cocoa! :) Stephanie what do you guys do with them after you harvest them? How do you keep them? I use a lot of garlic! i am thinking of jarring them up in some EVOO with red pepper flakes.:)
They keep for a long time without doing anything to them once they are cured.
What is the curing process Jo?
The curing process is letting the garlic dry by hanging it or putting it on a tray, otherwise if if you store it too moist it will rot.
OIC, like we buy it in the store. Can you take the garlic we buy in the store and plant it? I have always thought about doing that and the same with onions.
It probably would work, but i don't think the onions would.
Wow! That is awesome! I have never tried garlic although I rock onions and potatoes. Could I get a bulb to try as well?
Joy
Plant in fall and let it go during the winter. I really don't pay much attention to it after the initial watering regularly until the sprouts pop out of the ground. It's fairly low-maintenance and bug-free. My poor little anole is going to miss it when I harvest, though.
Looks like we'll be harvesting garlic VERY soon! Took this pic tonight.
I can give you some bulblets this fall Marty.
Josephine.
Jo, could I have some as well? I had asked earlier, but don't want to impose.
Joy
Of course, just be sure to remind me about it later.
Josephine.
I will also have some to share.
Wow Steph what a wonderful picture of your Garlic! When did you plant that?
I see braids of garlic and think it looks neat. Are you going to braid yours? Take pics to show us if you do, ok?
Sylvia, I planted this garlic last October, later than I should've but it doesn't seem to have bothered it! This garlic is from garlic I harvested last spring. That garlic survived the snows we had in late 2010 and early 2011 (the 14" at Super Bowl time).
Fauther~I usually don't braid my garlic simply because I'm too lazy.
Be careful about trying to preserve garlic in olive oil: http://www.ehow.com/how_5081820_preserve-garlic-olive-oil.html
Oh my Pat! Thank you for that scary piece of info! lol I would probably put them in the oven first.
Do you guys plant the entire bulb of garlic or do breaking it into cloves?
Sylvia, what I'm going to send you is a "bulbet", it's not a clove or a seed. If you look at Stephanie's second picture you can see a picture of the small brown bulbets. I plant them in Oct, they could be put in the ground any time before then, they won't spout until fall, tho.
I tried to braid my garlic last year, it didn't work for, the necks were too hard and the heads would snap off. I did braid my onions for fun, but they started to rot where they touched sides. There must be some trick or special timing for the drying to get it to work.
You guys are harvesting! I just put 3 elephant garlic whole bulbs out in the beds 2 months ago, ( I wasn't sure if they were irradiated or not since they looked so dried out) and they are swelling and shooting up a stalk now- guess I'll see if they survive, onions will reroot from the grocery stores if they haven't been irradiated, on a bulb onion, cut half an inch of bulb above the root, then let it 'heal-skin over' and they will root if the season is right, green onions are the same, use the tops down to 1/2" over the roots, allow to lay out a day or so, then plant, and they will grow just fine.
Onions have more water in them than garlic- they need dry cool not touch each other ventilation - on a garlic or pepper braid the fruits are always on the outside of the stems so they have space, pepper braids need dry air- its too wet except maybe in west Tx for those
Elephant garlic can not be braided it is too large and the stems too thick and it will rot.
COCO , do you have my address? Send it to POB 541891, DLS TX 75234-1891, I go there every other day. ...and THANK YOU!!! I cant pot Hostas, but I can pot garlic! :)
Wow you live in zone 7b, awesome zone for growing Hostas!;) Where is Grand Saline, I want to move to an area thats more Hosta friendly and I can raise my two pygmy goats. :)
I've got your address, Sylvia. Thanks! I'll get these in the mail Monday, unless I make into town sooner.
Grand Saline is 70 miles east of Dallas. Heading east, once you get past Terrell the soil turns sandy/acidic. Hostas take a beating during the heat and they need lots of compost to retain moisture in the sandy soil. The plus side, it's much easier to amend and dig in the sand :0)
You should look around the Tyler area. It's a nicer smaller/large town, lots of nurseries and gardening groups. And still has plenty of farm areas surrounding it. East Texas has lots of trees and scrub, the goats would love it here!
I harvested my garlic and it's drying under a sheet under the carport in my backyard! I put the sheet over it because it does get some morning sunshine back there.
Bravo!!! Stephanie, I am proud of you that is a great crop, I haven't dug mine yet, but I need to soon.
Some of it had split away from the bulb, so I know I let it go too long. I should've harvested it a couple of weeks ago.
Thank you for you kind words, help, and encouragement, Josephine.
I also have a crop from Josephines' bulbets. I had to move my plants a few months ago and they were really falling over a few weeks ago so I pulled them out. Some didn't grow too well from the transplant and are small. I wonder if that garlic will taste bad? I did braid it but know better thanks to you.
No it won't taste bad, and you can use the larger cloves to replant.
Thanks Coco! Gee I hope I can find a wood box to plant mine in.
Yes, I have been checking around Tyler. The thing that scares me is getting too far away from Linda -Smockette. I was trying to get her to move out that way too, if the interstate come through her place.
Coco check out my Pinterest post ... I bet you can make them better. :)
Hey guys I got a beautician who can braid anything. @ about 25.00 a hour! LOL
Stephanie Did you make the wooden box? If so, do it have a bottom in it or are they planted in the ground? I could probably get my neighbor to make me one, he is always building something.
Sylvia, my husband made the box. It's just a frame with no bottom. When we started gardening it in 3 or 4 years ago, it was twice as deep and we lined it with cardboard on the bottom, on top of the grass. The next year, the hubby decided to knock it down to half it's height and add native soil and more compost. We've had really good success with it.
He's a keeper for sure! :)
Sylvia, did I miss something? Those look like jalapena candy???
Oh no, Sybram. The photo was for me...I gave Sylvia a chocolate book a few years back. I can see why that would be confusing.lol
I'm glad you brought the thread back up, tho.
Sylvia, I mailed your seeds Monday and forgot warn you. I couldn't find a small box to mail them in. So, any lumpy suspicious looking envelopes would be from me :0) LMK, if they made it without harm.