Garlic for 2024, one new variety this year

Still haven't picked my garlic yet, but I've been watching it VERY CLOSELY since I've had problems with drainage in the past few years causing a percentage to be water logged and not goof for storage. Due to the extended heat wave, it's been very hot with no, or minimal rain the past week. I was away for 2 days , so I was contemplating picking them before we left, but the lower leaves haven't browned as much as I'd like for them to be ready or full size. I'll check them ( when the sun comes up today) to see how much has changed ( or not) and make a decision as to when I'll harvest. It has always been a family tradition to harvest on July 4th, but due to the drainage issues and maybe cause the summers appear earlier, longer and hotter, we've been harvesting about 2 weeks earlier than that in recent years. hoping for a good, water-logged -free year this year.

Harvested a few kirbies a few days ago before we left. A week or two earlier than previous years. There were some borderline ones still on the vine. Ill check today, hoping they're not too big, or bigger than I like.

Picked about 2 quarts of string beans before we left, which is about a week earlier than usual.

Currants are in full production mode, will pick them today.

I also picked 2 banana peppers ( one from each plant) before we left, and ate both of them to test their heat. Lat year, I planted , what I thought were 4 banana pepper plants, just to find out they were something much hotter. Found out the hard way. There were also a few shishito's out there that I left on the plat to pick when I got back ( today)

Also and eggplant ( Ichiban) that was about 6 inches long before we left. This is also kinda early for me with eggplants. The plants also look pretty healthy other than a few holes in the leaves. In recent past, I've been getting some kind of wilt on my eggplants, which curls the leaves, forces them to drop, and shortens the lifespan of the plants.

Bunch of green tomatoes, which other than very early varieties, won't ripen for a few more weeks.

Onions Noticeably starting to bulb.

Today was a nice day, finally, and I took the 4 types of garlic, plus the small amount of Metechi, I filled up 4 and 7 spots I didn't have enough Estonian Reds or Georgian Fires to fill the rows. I saved the largest of the different varieties, the two largest were Misics, which are huge single cloves, looking like onions! The Bogotyr is a new variety for me this year, and a lot are fairly large, double cloves, most of which I saved, for fall planting.
Georgian Fire, the least of any of the varieties this year, but a couple the largest of any of them. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Estonian Red, saved the largest of the batch to plant again in the fall, the rest I'll use first. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bogotyr, the new one I have the most of this year. Many are smaller, but with only 2 cloves each, which are fairly large. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Music, most uniform heads. 2, however, were huge, single cloves, which I will plant, in the fall, with the other largest cloves. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

They look perfect !

I only just cut our scapes today. Probably should have done it a couple of days, maybe a week(?) ago. Left a few and out of more than 60/70 plants my arms were full and dropping them on the way back to the house.
Out of that large stack, they trimmed down to this...

I'll fine chop some I guess but have no idea what to do with the rest. Of course, 1/2 goes upstairs but not sure even she knows what she wants to do with them.
Her first year with them they made pesto but it was so strong they couldn't eat it. Think she got a bit turned off on them.
I might keep some in one or 2 inch pieces to throw into stir fries? Been told to also just fine chop and use in place of garlic itself?

@dragnlaw , chop and dehydrate and powder to use as a mild garlic seasoning. Or pickle them in a brine you like, dill or sweet. Or saute pieces in a stir fry or soup or stew. Freeze them to use later.
I can't remember if it is true of scapes, but a pesto made with garlic bulbs/cloves will take a day or two to tame down the strong flavor. The method of crushing/chopping them sets off the 'hot reaction', but that gets mild in a day or two.

@dragnlaw I have used the scapes in a number of Asian things, in place of garlic - usually I use about 1½ times the amount of garlic cloves, since it's a little weaker, with more water in it. I used it most recently in that Nahm Jeem Gratiem, and before that the Nam Prik Pao, both of which were almost identical to that with garlic cloves. And I made some garlic/ginger paste, often used in Indian cooking (and I would never recommend the stuff sold in jars!), and I often use this in Szechwan foods, as well. I make it in a blender, and store in a mason jar in the freezer - it thaws enough in a couple of minutes, to scoop out enough with a spoon to use, then put back in the freezer. However, like when making things with lemongrass, I slice the stalks very thin, to cut through the fibers; otherwise, if left longer, some can stay whole in a blender or processor, and just bounce around or ball up. That reminds me of another thing I've made with these that was delicious - Thai Curry Paste. Something I'm almost out of now, so I'll be making some, and the scapes are especially good in the green paste, for the color.

I'm late to this party, but excited to plant Garlic for the first time this Fall.

I ordered some Music starter bulbs and they came just the other day.
So now I've got to educate myself on all of this ... I'll be storing them in my pantry, off the kitchen in a brown paper bag ... thoughts? opinions? guidance?

I'm not sure when the best time to plant in your area would be, KG. You don't have a winter with a long, deep freeze, do you? The hardnecks, like Music, are usually better in cooler areas, though I have had Music grow well in warmer winters I've had, w/o a deep freeze. Still, I would look into some varieties they grow in Louisiana or Florida.

@Kaneohegirlinaz if you are going to plant in oct-nov, like we do, i just store it in a paper bag, where ever in the house or garage until then.

Kgirl, you're really going to have to check with your local nurseries or that gov't office/extension(?) that helps farmers, etc. - can't think of what you call them! Go to a Co-op that sells horse feed, farm supplies, etc. They'll be able to tell you who to ask.

@Kaneohegirlinaz
"The best varieties for you depend on personal taste and gardening experience. Try a couple of different varieties each year until you find those which best suit your taste and gardening style. For hardneck varieties try Music, Continental, Spanish Roja, Carpathian, Georgian Fire, or German Red. These all produce large, easy to peel cloves and tend to be on the hot and spicy side. Some good softneck varieties are Inchelium Red, California Early, Western Rose, Mild French, and Silver White. These are milder, produce smaller cloves, and are most desirable for braiding."

On average, your first fall frost occurs on September 23.
Planting schedule for AZ:

1st frost date September 23rd??? That must be up in the mountains somewhere! First frost date here is the end of October, and more likely the beginning of November, in the last couple of decades. Arizona, I'm sure, varies greatly, from one end of the state to the other, so you'll have to find out what yous is in your garden. And I can tell you from experience that Spanish Roja is not something you want to plant unless you have a definite deep freeze in the winter. That, and another rocombole variety I grew one season when we had a very mild winter, when it didn't even get down into the teens, and those things, when I dug them up, had barely even grown, even though they had grown tops. That was when I learned that those varieties need a deep freeze, to form bulbs. In my area, the ground rarely freezes enough anymore to stay frozen - even the occasional low in the teens, or even single digits, is quickly thawed by an above freezing temperature. Those days in my early gardening days, when the ground froze solid, and I'd have to wait until sometime in March for it to thaw, which is when the garlic would pop up from the fall planting, are gone - the garlic grows right through the winter now, in this area, which I assume is colder than that part of AZ.

i'm just guessing she is in Flagstaff area....on my previous post. She may be in a colder or warmer area in AZ near the Grand Canyon. Generally though, planting won't be terribly different if you have below freezing temperatures in winter.

Even though we get very cold winters sometimes -23 deg F for a while, i've grown some softneck garlic which is generally better grown in the warmer climates, but i'm partial to the hardneck varieties that grow well in cold winter climates.

Gilroy, CA, which is the garlic capital of the world, doesn't even plant in the fall, and I'm sure many other places do this, in warmer areas. Just something to look into. I'm sure they are growing softnecks, which I don't grow because I don't like all those small cloves! Those large hardnecks, with 4 cloves per bulb are my favs, since 1 or 2 cloves equals 4 to 8 regular sized cloves. Much faster to peel!

pepperhead212 said:

I'm not sure when the best time to plant in your area would be, KG. You don't have a winter with a long, deep freeze, do you? The hardnecks, like Music, are usually better in cooler areas, though I have had Music grow well in warmer winters I've had, w/o a deep freeze. Still, I would look into some varieties they grow in Louisiana or Florida.

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@pepperhead212 great suggestion, mahalo!

blissful said:

@Kaneohegirlinaz if you are going to plant in oct-nov, like we do, i just store it in a paper bag, where ever in the house or garage until then.

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@blissful , yup. I took a brown paper lunch bag, punched some whole in it with a paper punch and stored that bugger in the pantry in the kitchen.

dragnlaw said:

Kgirl, you're really going to have to check with your local nurseries or that gov't office/extension(?) that helps farmers, etc. - can't think of what you call them! Go to a Co-op that sells horse feed, farm supplies, etc. They'll be able to tell you who to ask.

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@dragnlaw I'm going to call the local extension office on Monday.

blissful said:

@Kaneohegirlinaz

Backyard Gardener - Growing Garlic - July 15, 2020

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County, Backyard Gardener

cales.arizona.edu

"The best varieties for you depend on personal taste and gardening experience. Try a couple of different varieties each year until you find those which best suit your taste and gardening style. For hardneck varieties try Music, Continental, Spanish Roja, Carpathian, Georgian Fire, or German Red. These all produce large, easy to peel cloves and tend to be on the hot and spicy side. Some good softneck varieties are Inchelium Red, California Early, Western Rose, Mild French, and Silver White. These are milder, produce smaller cloves, and are most desirable for braiding."

On average, your first fall frost occurs on September 23.

Planting Calendar for Flagstaff, AZ

www.almanac.com

Planting schedule for AZ:

Garlic	Oct 7-21 Oct 18-21	N/A	120	Frost-hardy

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@blissful I'm thinking back and I seem to recall our first frost being around the middle to ending of October.

pepperhead212 said:

1st frost date September 23rd??? That must be up in the mountains somewhere! First frost date here is the end of October, and more likely the beginning of November, in the last couple of decades. Arizona, I'm sure, varies greatly, from one end of the state to the other, so you'll have to find out what yous is in your garden. And I can tell you from experience that Spanish Roja is not something you want to plant unless you have a definite deep freeze in the winter. That, and another rocombole variety I grew one season when we had a very mild winter, when it didn't even get down into the teens, and those things, when I dug them up, had barely even grown, even though they had grown tops. That was when I learned that those varieties need a deep freeze, to form bulbs. In my area, the ground rarely freezes enough anymore to stay frozen - even the occasional low in the teens, or even single digits, is quickly thawed by an above freezing temperature. Those days in my early gardening days, when the ground froze solid, and I'd have to wait until sometime in March for it to thaw, which is when the garlic would pop up from the fall planting, are gone - the garlic grows right through the winter now, in this area, which I assume is colder than that part of AZ.

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@pepperhead212 also great thoughts.

blissful said:

i'm just guessing she is in Flagstaff area....on my previous post. She may be in a colder or warmer area in AZ near the Grand Canyon. Generally though, planting won't be terribly different if you have below freezing temperatures in winter.

Even though we get very cold winters sometimes -23 deg F for a while, i've grown some softneck garlic which is generally better grown in the warmer climates, but i'm partial to the hardneck varieties that grow well in cold winter climates.

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@blissful we get several freezes as well as hard freezes.

pepperhead212 said:

Gilroy, CA, which is the garlic capital of the world, doesn't even plant in the fall, and I'm sure many other places do this, in warmer areas. Just something to look into. I'm sure they are growing softnecks, which I don't grow because I don't like all those small cloves! Those large hardnecks, with 4 cloves per bulb are my favs, since 1 or 2 cloves equals 4 to 8 regular sized cloves. Much faster to peel!

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@pepperhead212 have y'all been to Gilroy, CA? LOVE that place! You can smell it coming for miles!!!

Yes, I was at Gilroy one time, @Kaneohegirlinaz, and we could smell it from miles away!

Garlic planting season is 2 months from now, any time in Oct or Nov is great.
We usually plant our garlic at about 1-2 inches but after watching this video that might change.
He did an experiment planting in the same garlic bed at 0 inches deep, 4 inches deep, and 7 inches deep, then he harvested, dried, trimmed and weighed them.
The biggest garlic came out of the 4 inch deep garlic, second biggest at 7 inches deep, and smallest at 0 inches deep.

Yes, mid-October will be my time for getting garlic planted. And I've been planting my garlic approximately 4" deep since many years ago, when I read somewhere (before the internet!) that this was the best depth. I "fluff up" the soil, adding organic matter and any additional fertilizer needed, let the cloves soak in 50% isopropyl alcohol about 15 minutes - I usually do one variety, drain it into another, and let that soak, while planting the one before, and work to the last one. I shove the cloves approximately 4" into the soil, with a long marked line stretched tight, then I make another row, with the cloves zig-zagged from where the first row was placed, like I do with greens.

blissful said:

The biggest garlic came out of the 4 inch deep garlic, second biggest at 7 inches deep, and smallest at 0 inches deep.

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Thank you - I've been disappointed in the garlic sizes. Will "suggest" this to my son. Of course, he'l do what he wants. LOL!

pepperhead212 said:

I shove the cloves approximately 4" into the soil, with a long marked line stretched tight, then I make another row, with the cloves zig-zagged from where the first row was placed, like I do with greens.

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That's how (when I do them) I do it too. A zig-zag alternating line.

I'm unsure whether I am going to try again. It has been four years of tragic disappointment where I excitedly watch lush growth only to get nibs of garlic or rained out so the garlic is more like goop. I harbor deep fantasies of lush, gorgeous garlic or onions. I have purchased a large raised bed that I hoped to use for garlic and onions....but have not set it up yet. Just....not sure if I simply cannot seem to produce garlic or onions.