The tops should not be very tall this time of year. Pull them up and replant. The roots aren't very deep.
By The Moon
I think I finally made to to the right place. Thanks to htop & marylyn!
I planted some garlic last month and it seems to be growing nicely. I also got mine at walmart. I don't have many shopping choices out here (walmart or brookshires) and the closest town is 25 miles each way.
I watched garlic farming show awhile back talking about how to chose your garlic from the store. This California farmer said to make sure the roots are showing on the bottom of the bulb and you could be pretty sure that it was grown in California. If it appears that the roots were dug out (with a smooth finish) then it is likely they are imported from China. I always check now.
Suze_,
Thanks for the link.
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allwild818
"This California farmer said to make sure the roots are showing on the bottom of the bulb and you could be pretty sure that it was grown in California. If it appears that the roots were dug out (with a smooth finish) then it is likely they are imported from China."
Thanks for posting this interesting tidbit.
Since I brought up the Creole types, I did want to mention that the bulbs usually aren't as large as with Artichoke types. So, don't be disappointed if you try them out and they are a bit smaller. And they definitely won't be as large as one would see with Elephant Garlic which can get huge (and is technically a leek, not a garlic). But - flavor is more intense (less goes further), and I definitely consider them worthwhile.
I've found cowpeas are a great crop to grow in rotation with garlic, as they love heat and can be started after the garlic is harvested. Plus - they are also done in plenty of time to make way for the fall garlic planting.
My Walmart Garlic....soft neck.
Last Fall I purchased a bulb of garlic from Walmart, separated it into 20 cloves and planted them. All sprouted and did well over this past winter. Recently the tops started to die off so I pulled three. Here is a picture.
The smaller bulbs in the photo are from cloves about the size of my little finger nail and now they are about the size of a quarter with three or four small cloves.
So, Kendalia, we can get garlic to grow here in our neck of the woods. Don't give up.
Jerry
Here is a picture of an onion from the same bed where the garlic is planted. It is just starting to form a bulb. I am still working on learning how to grow onions.
Jerry
Good growing, Jerry!
And glad you bumped this thread back up to the top anyway. Folks, now is a good time to get your garlic orders in if you were planning on ordering any via mail order and/or online for your fall planting. Most of these sources run out so fast, and are already taking advance orders for their crop (which hasn't even been harvested yet.)
I don't quite understand the logic, but that seems to be the way they all do it. If you wait until June, you'll tend to see a fair amount of "out of stock" for several of the more popular or unusual (limited quantity) varieties. Sometimes even as soon as mid to late May ...
I had no idea Suze. Thanks for the heads up.
My garlic is still going strong. It probably won't be harvested for about a month.
Good growing TXrockgarden... tell us what is left to learn on your onion crop? Looks good from here.
Suze_, Glad you popped in.
1. Now that I know there is garlic in that bed would it be better to just leave it in the ground until I want to use some or should it all be harvesed now? I would like to rework that raised bed when the onions and shallots are done. I want to add another row of cinder blocks to make the bed deeper.
2. If I pull/dig all of the garlic, what is a good way to store or freeze it?
3. Is slicing the cloves thinly, dehydrating and storing in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid an option?
This message was edited May 5, 2009 7:07 PM
Jerry, I dig my garlic when time, dry it (cure) for about 3-4 weeks, then trim (tops and roots, but not too close on either end) and store it in either mesh bags or brown paper lunch sacks. Or you can just trim the roots up a bit and leave the tops to make some braids if that strikes your fancy. Another thing I do is use a soft bristle toothbrush to gently knock off any dirt around the root area and on the outer bulb wrapper. In general, only remove that first layer bulb wrapper (if necessary), but don't go past that for storage purposes.
If I left it in the ground, I would be scared of it rotting as Josephine mentioned earlier in the thread. Plus, I like to alternate it with cowpeas and/or have the chance to amend soil, maybe plant in another bed the next yr, etc.
I dry by tying bunches together with twine and hanging somewhere cool, like in an inside closet because we live in such a hot climate Then I store at room temp in my house in bags or sacks, mainly because this is what Bob (Gourmet Garlic Gardens) recommends if you don't have a dedicated fridge for garlic storage that you can set in the 40's or 50's - and who does except for maybe some commercial growers?
There are all sorts of debates and theories about how to best store garlic and I don't have all the answers. There seems to be a fair amount of disagreement on this subject. Some say store very cool, in fridge - and usda recommendations say store in 30's down to 32 but not freezing, and this is the way much commercially harvested garlic is stored. Others say No (!) don't do that because once you take it out, it will age fast, get soft. Also can have a quicker tendency to start sprouting. And there is also the humidity to consider in a fridge.
Anyhow, drying/curing it well and then storing inside in a pantry/closet that is not on an outside wall of the house seems to work well for me. By selectively going though my bags and using the softest and/or smaller bulbs first, I've found I can have garlic year round. I still have a few bulbs of some artichoke types from last yr's harvest, but they are starting to get soft and sprout. Towards the bitter end, when you are a few months into the new year and bulbs are starting to get soft, it sometimes makes sense to put a few in the fridge to hold onto some until you can harvest new, I have found.
Other options might be to dice and freeze in ziplock bags for any excess you may not use up quickly (either your garlic or your onions). I have heard some refer to this as making "books", eg, they spread it out thin and even and stack the smaller ziplocks up book fashion in their freezer. I have never done it with just straight garlic, but I do make tons of pesto and store it this way. This gives me a good way to put up both a lot of basil and garlic at the same time, and the taste is great because it freezes very well. I just open up a bag and break off a chunk as I need it, if I don't need to use the whole bag for a recipe.
Edit/add - I have heard of folks dehydrating and storing that way, so it is definitely an option, but I have never tried it.
This message was edited May 6, 2009 3:19 AM
I put my garlic cloves on a tray with their skins on. Then I put them in the freezer ans when frozen I put them in a ziplock bag, they stay separate that way and you can take out one or a few as you need them. It works very well.
Josephine.
We're going to try garlic this fall. I think we might order from this place down near Brownwood. If you haven't seen this site, you have to watch the video from Texas Country Reporter. At one point in the segment, the guy eats a pod of garlic like an apple!! I'm not sure I could handle that much garlic all at once! LOL
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/index.htm
Garlic can be left in ground, needs rich, well draining soil, afternoon shade, oldtimers used it around the peach trees to fend off insects- guess that means the same soil requirements. Onions, green in bunches are sold in spring, because places like Nogales seed them in the fall, gather n resell to Tx markets for more growing in the spring. They can be put into the ground still in the bunches they are sold in, or seperated, they need dug. Onion sets form bulbs, u have to trample the tops before bolt to force the plant to grow underground, instead of making all tops. I believe garlic also needs tops trampled...Onions pick up flavors from the soil ph, from sweet as an apple to a bite that makes u cry. store with dirt on them, in brown paper bags as plastic accelerates damp rot,out of the light, in cool, dry places. Light makes the plant get ready to grow. any onions, garlic, chives may remain in ground, they will go dormant to return in their season. Have seen old homesteads that had garlic growing under a tree, undisturbed, the bulbs were there even after the tops died back. Like a potato, if they r turning green, that is their poison to keep animals from eating them so the bulb will survive.
Jerry, just noticed your post. I'm impressed with your success with store-bought garlic, as you don't live far from me. Fortunately, a kind soul (who posts on this thread) sent me some garlic (and onions) that are doing extremely well for me. I'm even getting some bulbils which I might try to plant (I don't have experience with these, I guess that the bulbils are seeds, more or less).
Last Fall onions, chives, and shallots are all dug.
Walmart produce garlic was dug several weeks ago and is curing in a brown paper bag in a cool dark place in the house.
'Till next time...
Jerry
Kendalia ~ you might want to read thru this other thread and the TX A&M link on onions. I am not sure you will be able to harvest seeds from those onions. If I recall, bunching or potato onions aren't noted for producing seeds rather by multiplying by bulbs. You may want to experiment and see what happens. Do let us know... pod
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/992834/#new
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/onions/oniongro.html
Thanks for the links!