Garlic

I planted garlic chive last fall, it did good, but it's not garlic. I planted society garlic last month, and that's good, but it's not edible.

The man at the nursery said buy some garlic at the grocery store, break the cloves up and plant them, roots down. I did that last week. This week I have 3 shoots coming out of the ground. Now what do I do?

Molly

this url should have the answer to ur question. http://www.homegardeners.com/garlic.htm , http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/

MaVieRose; Thank you so much for the 2 links. They are very helpful. I have bookmarked both so I can go back to them as we get closer to harvest. It will be interesting to see how many garlic bulbs we'll get from the cloves of the one bulb we planted.

for each clove u planted, u will get one whole bulb. u're welcome and good luck.

Molly, I plant a lot of store bought cloves of garlic. Sometimes here in zone 5 it takes a couple generations of cloves for some cultivars to acclimate to our soil & climate. I just replant cloves from bulbs we harvest. I have noticed we don't have as many if any moles, voles, etc. in the flower beds where we have garlic intermingled with the flowers, shrubs, etc..

Well I have got 3 sprouts up already and only planted them last week. Lucky us, we don't have moles and voles and such. (i don't think) I did plant them in the iris/lily garden. Those are kind of slowing growing right now so there's room for Florida winter veggies to grow. IN the meantime, if they don't produce right away, we still have the garlic in the jar as back up.

Molly, I usually plant ours in November and harvest around June full size heads. Perhaps yours will mature faster since yours may not go into a super-slow growth period caused by our winters. Planting the biggest cloves will get you the biggest heads.

I agree with Horseshoe. Plant the biggest cloves for the biggest heads. I grow several kinds of garlic, just not this year since I plan on moving.

Molly Mac, after this season you'll be hooked. Garlic growing is easy, and just about maintaiance free so long as you keep it well weeded. It also tells you when it's ready to harvest. When the leaves start turning brown and dying, wait until about half of them have done so. Then dig the bulbs and cure them by hanging in an airy locations outside of direct sunlight.

After it becomes an addiction, and you start ordering "gourmet" varieites to grow instead of the California White you got at the market, keep in mind that softnecks will grow better where you are then will hardnecks.

California White _is_ a softneck, so you're OK there.

Brook or Shoe, not of the intention to hijack this thread, i have a question for u. Sorry MollyMc.

i have just moved to a new area... this place is loaded with stray wild rabbits. i noticed, each time i plant onions or garlic. the darn rabbits will pull them off the ground. my quandary is... how do i plant the veggie bulbs, without being pulled by these 4 legged furry tails? TIA ma vie

So ma vie you decited to stay at daves?

That's weird, Mavie. Alliums tend to repell rabbits but maybe those jack rabbits out your way see the green shoots and yank on them, pulling the cloves/bulbs up. Smart critters, eh?

You may have to resort to putting down another repellant...blood meal? Or maybe some chicken wire around your garlic area, doesn't have to be very high.

Are you sure it's rabbits? Could it be something else? Deer? Crows?

Hey all, thank you for all the info, I think I can continue to grow garlic with confidence. I'm so glad we don't have all the critters you northerners are plagued with. We have possums wandering out there, but I don't think they are a hazard to the garden. Only my dogs, who can't seem to understand the boundaries I have laid out to keep them out of the growing areas. Two of my neighbors have just recently taken in chickens, (we are in the unending suburbs of S. Florida, farm animals are not allowed but I'm not gonna tattle) but we have a fence so they won't peck my garden.

Again, Thank you so much. Molly

Shoe,

definitely jack rabbits! the entire perimeter of the property is fenced in. i've seen those rascals night and day, roaming around. and yes, they pull bulb and new plants out of their planting area. i have also applied blood meal, but to no avail... bulb plants still being pulled out!

no deer. crows yes, but i have not seen them pull any plants yet. moles, i have seen open holes freshly dug around. would moles bother alliums? daffodils and other bulb plants are scattered all over the yard by the original owner of the property, i don't see them being uprooted at all. in fact, i never knew they existed till they bloomed last Spring!

am running out of ideas. am somewhat despondent cuz u know i love and use all parts of garlic in my cooking.

MaVie, the place is fenced in but the rabbits get thru? Can you fence in the garlic bed with smaller mesh wire?

I don't think it is moles, they eat grubs (and earthworms).

This is bad news for you, a garlic lover.

Good news for you if you are a rabbit lover...I'm sure you have recipes for them also!

It sounds like your only alternative is a barrier. Small mesh fence? A small hoophouse? Raised bed with wire over it? Is anything like that possible?

yeah, i've also seen them go through the fence, couple of times. we have a neighbor who owns 5 acres to herself. notice one of her son using bb guns one time. rabbits disappeared for awhile. now i've seen them back again lately. this time, they prowl at night!

i guess i will have to make raised bed, away from where they originally roam. i dare not fence the original planting site cuz i know they will dig through again. in fact, i have an area close to the house, where i doubt if they will venture to come.