It's garlic time! Planting, that is...

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pepperhead212

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Woodbury, NJ
It's always time to use it!

I just received my seed garlic - a pound each of Music and Metechi. I'll also plant some of last year's Estonian Red, and Georgian Fire. Hoping to get it in this weekend, but I'll have to see how wet it still is.

So what kinds of garlic will you be planting, for next season?
 
I figured that you'd be planting it about now, @larry_stewart. You're lucky to have that garden place you can get things like that. Nothing like that near me, though there used to be, decades ago.
 
Ive actually changed the location for garlic in my garden. Im hoping I dont run into drainage issues again, as I did a few years ago. Last year was a close, but I picked aa few weeks earlier than usual , after noticing there may be an issue, and everything turned out ok. I guess I'll see if it was a wise move next June/ July.
 
I'll start planting my garlic today, 10/15/22. By history, I plant 385 cloves. At this point, I only plant one cultivar, German Extra Hardy. They are mostly jumbo, purchased and raised. When I get off here, I'll go back to breaking up the bulbs!

This is my garlic bed this year.
 

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Our aged composted manure is now being delivered the end of next week, then it is tilled in, then landscape fabric (so few and no weeds), then garlic planting, followed by leaves for mulch. Brr, it will be cold planting it. We plant Russian Red, hardneck variety, 2-5 very large cloves. Out of all the varieties, we've had the best luck with these, and we save the best for planting each year.
garlic_003.jpg
 
I'll start planting my garlic today, 10/15/22. By history, I plant 385 cloves. At this point, I only plant one cultivar, German Extra Hardy. They are mostly jumbo, purchased and raised. When I get off here, I'll go back to breaking up the bulbs!

This is my garlic bed this year.
Well, I did it. I planted the entire bed yesterday to garlic cloves, around 400 of them. Half of them were my own garlic and half came from Keene garlic. Last year I noticed most recommendations were to plant the garlic cloves at least 6 inches apart, how could I have missed that over the past 40 years?? I never left that much space between cloves, but I did last year. And that reduced my harvest by almost a 1/3rd this summer. So I went back to my usual spacing of 4 to 5 inches between cloves.
 
That's a lot of garlic, @bethzaring! I always (maybe after the first year or so) planted my garlic 5" apart, because, when using a long tape measure, it is very easy to space on every 0 and 5 mark. After years of this, I marked a nylon cord, as long as my longest row, and stretch it from one end to the other, for a straight line, and use the marks for planting on both sides, as well as placing some markers for setting the irrigation line, before the garlic is too large.
Line for planting garlic and shallots on both sides of. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And the last few years I've been soaking the separated cloves, overnight, in a solution of potassium bicarbonate and kelp - supposed to help prevent fungus problems - and after draining this, in a small amount of 50% isopropyl alcohol for about 15 minutes (usually do this while planting the previous variety). Some people use vodka for this! These go in later today.
Garlic, soaking in potassium bicarbonate and kelp, overnight, until planting tomorrow. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
 
I just came in from planting 128 cloves. Im more amazed that I order the right amount ( my target was for 120, which lasts me just about a year). I stuck with my most predictable variety over the years. I did change locations, as aalthough I think I fixed it, I had drainage issues which screwed me up aa few years. The only experiment Im doing is one row I had worked in aged manure that I got from a stable. The other beds were from bagged manure from the garden center. Im curious to see if there is a difference. I also topped everything with some sifted compost from my compost pile. Just waiting for them to settle in a bit, and for the leaves to start falling, then I'll make a leave mulch to top things off for the winter.
 
That's a lot of garlic, @bethzaring! I always (maybe after the first year or so) planted my garlic 5" apart, because, when using a long tape measure, it is very easy to space on every 0 and 5 mark. After years of this, I marked a nylon cord, as long as my longest row, and stretch it from one end to the other, for a straight line, and use the marks for planting on both sides, as well as placing some markers for setting the irrigation line, before the garlic is too large.
Line for planting garlic and shallots on both sides of. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
It's not really a lot of garlic. Assuming I get 400 bulbs, 80 of them would go for planting next fall, leaving me with only 320 bulbs to eat. That is way less than one bulb a day!! I do the same thing when planting, use a board marked every 4 inches.
 
It's not really a lot of garlic. Assuming I get 400 bulbs, 80 of them would go for planting next fall, leaving me with only 320 bulbs to eat. That is way less than one bulb a day!! I do the same thing when planting, use a board marked every 4 inches.
We plant about 6 inches apart. We'll be putting in 300 cloves, Russian Reds. 2 people here and we eat almost 200 bulbs each year. We're waiting on the manure to be delivered.

This year of all years, we don't sell garlic and at least 8 people asked for garlic. It would have been a good year to put in even more, and have it available to sell and give away. People ARE buckling down and planting more than ever. That's good to see. They aren't helpless and they get to enjoy the beauty of God's gifts to us.
 
What is going on? This must be the third thread that I have clicked on in "New Posts" and there is no new post? I'm going to guess that someone came here and spammed a bunch of threads.
 
What is going on? This must be the third thread that I have clicked on in "New Posts" and there is no new post? I'm going to guess that someone came here and spammed a bunch of threads.
Probably, but Ill give an update while Im here . A few bulbs sprouted with the warmer weather. Even with the sub freezing cold spell, everything still looks healthy. About 6 months til harvest time. As of now, I still have enough fresh garlic, from last year , hanging in the garage which will likely last till the next harvest (unless they start to sprout, which they usually do about 2 month shy of a year).
 
I am so excited because my garlic has been sprouting up with the warm weather. I have them padded in straw but it is the most progress I've had with garlic ever! Thank you all for encouraging me to plant it!
I love planting garlic cause ( up until recently) its one of the easier crops. Just kinda plant them and let them do their thing. Recently I've had some drainage issues, so I put all my eggs in one basket, and changed their location in my garden. Hopefully I made he right choice. Find out in 6 months or so ( and even earlier for the scapes )
 
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