Garlic question...

[Limner]

We never have planted Garlic before, but at folks here at the TOL encouragement, I ordered three pounds last fall and planted them when the leaves started to turn. The things survived the winter well and are over three feet tall right now. BUT---the tips are starting to turn brown; I've heard you are supposed to pull them in Jully/August, but it's only June. Is there anything wrong...or am I just a worry wart, LOL???? We live in south central Indiana...have had a wet spring but it's warming up nicely now. Thanks....

[Beaners]

The tips do turn brown on them a long time before they hit harvesting age. Sometimes it is a lack of nitrogen, and sometimes it is just the variety of garlic. I wouldn't add nitrogen now though, it would probably hurt root development. You would have great big, pretty plants, and no garlic underneath them.

It's normal. Have you gotten scapes yet? They are the solid round stems that bend over on themselves. They are absolutely delicious. If you pull them, you will have bigger bulbs, but they may not keep as long. I pull the scapes on some, and then leave them on others. I think I'm planting more garlic next year just for the scapes.

Kayleigh

[Limner]

HA. THAT'S what those were? BUMMER, Kayleigh, I pulled them thinking the plants were tryiong to go to seed (like onions....) and tossed them to the side! Hey, thanks, I'll have to try them.....

[LC]

Limner, sorry to have taken so long to get back to this thread. Often I'm eating while reading and its hard to type and feed my face at the same time. lol

Anyway, back to the garlic....I was taught that you dig the garlic when 4 to 5 leaves have dried down. You do have to be careful that the bottom leaf doesn't dry and disappear before you realize it. Basically you want about half the leaves dried down when you dig. Hope this helps. Good luck to you. Home grown garlic is terrific and there are so many really special garlics out there to try.

LC

[Limner]

Thanks, LC, I'll remember that! Just weeded my garlic and onion bed this morning, and I am anxious to try some of it!!!!

[Nicho1]

One tip I was given by the seller of the garlic bulbs I planted was that you plant on Sept 21 and dig up on June 21. That makes it easy to remember. Since he was in PA, I would gather that would also be in your planting zone. Research it and/or ask others. It has always worked for me.

After digging, I put the bulbs with stems still attached in an area to dry that will get no direct sun and, of course, no moisture. I have an old window screen that I placed on blocks and then have a covering over it and put it under my deck. They stay there until dry enough for the large top to be all brown. I cut that just above the bulb and then store the garlic in a cool place...not the refrigerator. It lasts for quite a few months.

PS You're going to love having your own garlic! Don't forget to save the bulbs you want to re-plant.

[minnie]

They are absolutely delicious. If you pull them, you will have bigger bulbs, but they may not keep as long. I pull the scapes on some, and then leave them on others. I think I'm planting more garlic next year just for the scapes.

Kayleigh

So what do you do with them - just eat them raw or what?
I am growing garlic for the first time here too. I do not have any scapes yet.

[Beaners]

So what do you do with them - just eat them raw or what?
I am growing garlic for the first time here too. I do not have any scapes yet.

I'll break off the bottom of the scape and munch on it while I'm in the garden, but it's pretty strong. My husband won't come near me afterwards.

Usually I sautee them in a little bit of oil. It pulls the bite out of them. It's good over pasta, or just snatched out of the pan. My mom would have smacked my knuckles with a wooden spoon for grabbing food out of the pan the way I do.

Kayleigh

[Mountaineer]

Semi-related. My onions are forming little seed bulbs on the top, I want seeds for next year, but should I pluck the others? Does the seed bulb reduce eating-bit development? Thanks.

[Limner]

One tip I was given by the seller of the garlic bulbs I planted was that you plant on Sept 21 and dig up on June 21. That makes it easy to remember. Since he was in PA, I would gather that would also be in your planting zone. Research it and/or ask others. It has always worked for me.

After digging, I put the bulbs with stems still attached in an area to dry that will get no direct sun and, of course, no moisture. I have an old window screen that I placed on blocks and then have a covering over it and put it under my deck. They stay there until dry enough for the large top to be all brown. I cut that just above the bulb and then store the garlic in a cool place...not the refrigerator. It lasts for quite a few months.

PS You're going to love having your own garlic! Don't forget to save the bulbs you want to re-plant.

That date actually sounds about right.....Beaners said that the tips turn brown a few weeks before the rest of the leaves go, so that would fit! Mine are hard neck, so I don't think they'll braid very well, so I'll see about the drying thing. YUP, and I'll save some; I planted three pounds and this time I want more, so four pounds are getting saved this go around....:-D

[Limner]

I'll break off the bottom of the scape and munch on it while I'm in the garden, but it's pretty strong. My husband won't come near me afterwards.

Usually I sautee them in a little bit of oil. It pulls the bite out of them. It's good over pasta, or just snatched out of the pan. My mom would have smacked my knuckles with a wooden spoon for grabbing food out of the pan the way I do.

Kayleigh

Thanks for giving us the method, Kayleigh! MMMM, over pasta, that sounds good.....

[LC]

Not to be argumentative or anything like that but different varieties will take differing amounts of time to mature. Asiatics come off early and the silverskins will take 2 to 3 weeks longer even if they were all planted at the same time. At least that has been my experience over about 10 years of growing up to 30 varieties at a time.

If you really want to get blown away go see how many varieties Fillaree Farms offers.

LC

[Birdlady]

This seems to be a VERY informative garlic site...good grief!..I was there almost an hour reading! (It is not just for the South....look around).:smile:
http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growsouth.htm

[minnie]

Yea i guess that was the page I had saved in my bookmark.
It is a great site. Very nice man who owns it.

[Ms. American]

Thanks for this garlic thread, and the link! I didn't know a thing about growing garlic, although I've tried off and on without good results. Maybe now I'll have a good crop!

I happened to find some wild garlic this spring that I thought was wild onions. The only reason I learned it was garlic was because of this thread, and the discussion about the scapes. Well, I picked the scapes and what a delightful surprise!!

After chewing on a few, I decided to slice one up fine to put on my baked potato with some sour cream...ohhhh yum! I put the chopped stuff directly onto the hot potatoe so that the warmth would release the flavors, then added the sour cream. 'Twas heaven :)

If anybody has an equivelant knowledge about onions, I'd sure like to see a thread on that too. My onion knowlege is very limited, and my results are't very good.

Thanks!