Garlic Question

Not sure if this is the right forum (Is garlic a veggie or a herb?)

This is the first time I have grown garlic and I have been disappointed by the relatively small size of my bulbs. I have only pulled a couple from a few beds, so I have to check a few more. But they have been pitifully small. I have nice green tops but the bulbs were small. Only ones that look like they may be decent are my elephants but I haven't actually pulled one yet

Any idea what I may have done wrong?

I'll post some pics later

BB

In Darius' 1st article on garlic the other day (June 2nd or 3rd) he said something about it taking 2 yrs to grow a large bulb. I was surprised to hear that (haven't tried garlic myself yet), but haven't had time to do any research on it.

Garlic is harvested when plants have started to die back. I know Suze planted garlic in October and is only now harvesting in May. So 6+ months to harvest.

This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 8:05 PM

Maybe that's it. I planted in Jan or Feb I think

Did Darius explain about why it takes 2 years? It's not like it's a periennial.

I'll search for the article

BB

I've only been growing garlic for 3 years and it grew for me just fine each year. I planted one time in Spring and got smallish bulbs and the year before last I planted in the Fall and pulled garlic in July. The bulbs were fine, but my elephant garlic wasn't as big as I had expected... the rest were great and last us through the winter. Has Farmerdill or Horseshoe been around lately? They know all this stuff.

Megan

I always plant my Garlic in the fall, then harvest when the tops turn brown, have always had good luck, Garlic is a heavy feeder so fertilize good, one year I used manure from the fairgrounds, and my Garlic was really big.

All my tops are still erect and green. Maybe they are still growing

BB

I've edited my post. They should not be completed brown.

Here is an extremely detailed article on how to know when Garlic is ready:
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growing.htm#anchor17762007

Thanks for that link Feldon

BB