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Author Topic: Garlic and other fall veggies  (Read 27312 times)

Offline MrILoveTheAnts

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #20 on: March 29, 2008, 02:24:36 pm »
How is Garlic harvested? I hear in the summer I'm supposed to dig up the plants and let them dry our or something. Is that right?

Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #21 on: March 29, 2008, 06:27:47 pm »
if they are like onions (which they are) you wait till the tops die and then dig them up and let them dry out.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #22 on: March 30, 2008, 10:55:51 am »
MILTA.  In my climate, usually garlic is pretty much complete its life cycle by the middle of July.  I allow the plants to stay in the ground until about 1/3 of the entire plants leaves have browned.  Sometimes I get too busy and they stay in the ground a little longer though, hee, hee.  When this process of growth has stopped, the plants will not mature any more, if they stay in the ground too long, the bulbs begin to slightly dry out and that is not what you want.  Listen to what I say further before you wonder what I mean, hee, hee.

When the tops are 1/3 browned, then I pull then up and let them dry in the sun for half a day.  In a really hot climate, I would think shade may be better, or they could get sunburned badly.  After this drying for half a day has been complete, I then take the garlic and make bunches, I hang them to complete the curing process.  The bulbs are allowed to hang, the tops being tied together.  I do this in my outside greenhouse that has only a roof, it can be done anywhere though, a dark room, anywhere where they can finish curing.

The leaves act as wicks and draw the rest of the EXCESS moisture out of the bulbs, as is done with onions and they will then keep for a long time.  My garlic usually keeps well near into the next season of harvest, not as juicy as it was at the beginning, but still completely edible.

Garlic can also be spread out to finish curing, laying flat, but I believe that hanging is the best method, as the wicky thing happens (like my lingo?  hee, hee).

That is the scoop on garlic.

Last year I had a terrible harvest of garlic.  I had planted say, 500 cloves and of those maybe I was able to have about 50 that were good, but they were good.  We had the most coolest and dampest summer that I can remember and they just did not do well.

Now I see that hundreds of the garlics that I must have missed in my harvest last year are sprouting up now, they are about 3 inches tall and lookin' mighty fine.  I also planted about 200, so garlic is popping up everywhere now.  Garlic is a funny thing.  I think that once you have it you have it for your life of the gardens.  There are always ones that you miss and they will show their pretty little heads the following spring, as I am not witnessing.

If you have any more questions about the garlic, ask me, I could help more, I may have omitted some information, but I don't think so.  Have the most beautiful and best of this great day, Cindi
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Offline doak

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2008, 09:02:46 pm »
To get bigger cloves, cut the seed head/stalk off when it first shoots up.
We have some Elephant Garlic and it will spread like wild fire.
It will just keep on,and on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,and go some more. :roll: :)
doak

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #24 on: March 31, 2008, 01:21:39 am »
To get bigger cloves, cut the seed head/stalk off when it first shoots up.
We have some Elephant Garlic and it will spread like wild fire.
It will just keep on,and on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,on,and go some more. :roll: :)
doak

How true, between the elephant garlic let go to seed and the various mint species I hardly have any room for grass or weeds.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #25 on: March 31, 2008, 01:26:17 am »
Doak, right, I forgot about that very important part of the great garlic harvest.  I do always cut off the flower stalk on most when they firstly begin to rear their pretty little heads.  There are quite a few that I leave to let go to flower though, for the bees to forage on, they love garlic flowers, as they do with all alliums.  And those little bulbils from the flower head, that seem to get spread all over, in a couple of years make a big bulb too.  Elephant Garlic, lovely stuff, that is actually a cousin to the leek, not really a true garlic, but it is still in my eyes considered a lovely garlic.  Beautiful and so nicely mild.  Have a beautiful and most wonderful day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #26 on: March 31, 2008, 01:21:56 pm »
I have walking onions that came from my daughters Dad's grandma!  They had been in her garden for at least 50 years & here on the property for 25!! I get a secure warm feeling when I see them..circle of life type of thing!  I know, I'm weird!  :)  Jody
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #27 on: April 01, 2008, 10:01:30 am »
Jody, I have the walking onions growing happily away too, aka, Egyptian onion, top setting onion.

The only thing I have never figured out what to do is, how do you process the little bubils on top, if they are young, can they be used unskinned.  Elaborate a little on this for me.

I have set all kinds of seeds yesterday for the early garden stuff, that will go into the garden in a few weeks, oooh can't wait for my own lettuces again, after buying the store bought all winter.  I really need to get something going here where I can have lettuce in wintertime too.  Just too lazy.  Beautiful day in this beautiful life. Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline reinbeau

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #28 on: April 02, 2008, 06:19:39 pm »
These were planted last fall.  Unfortunately all of the labels were blown or washed away - there's five varieties there, I'll never know exactly what I'm eating.  At least I didn't have a complete crop failure again this season!


Offline poka-bee

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #29 on: April 02, 2008, 07:30:27 pm »
Cindi, I don't know what to do with em...I just like em cause they came from Amanda's Great Grandma! I end up using the greens if I want chive potatoes..not exactly the same but good in a pinch!  They do cover a lot of ground & grow almost anywhere.  I'm so lazy I get my stuff at the little farm down the road!  I get organic veggies & fruit all year long w/no weeding!  Just stop in & pick up my box..trade the stuf I don't like & get extra of stuff I do if I need it.  I get things for my daughter too. That's where I'm selling my eggs when I get em.   Jody
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #30 on: April 03, 2008, 12:05:43 am »
Ann, beauty, the greens are growing strong, yeah!!!!  I am surprised at the growth compared to mine, which is probably just about the same, planted last fall, just like you.  So, go figure, you had a way worse winter than we had, and yet, they have still sprung up out of the ground about the same.

Tell me the distance between the cloves.  It is hard to gauge in the picture, are they 6 inches or 12 inches.  Not to be bossy (oops, did I say that, hee, hee), but I plant mine no further apart than 6 inches, that seems to give them lots of room to mature and less weeding between each plant because of the foliage.  That is how garlic should be planted, hee, hee.  Remember, I'm not trying to be bossy, hee, hee  :-P ;) :) :)  Beautiful day in this greatest of lives.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline reinbeau

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #31 on: April 03, 2008, 07:41:32 am »
They're 6" apart, Cindi, I know it's hard to judge by the pic.  There may be some misses there, little bulbs that didn't make it, but 6" it is!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #32 on: April 03, 2008, 09:57:08 am »
Ann, good.  Can you grow celery where you live?  I grew it for the first time last year, never thought I could grow it here, for some strange reason.  I began with transplants. I was beyond impressed.  The celery grew like there was no tomorrow.  We ate celery from the garden all summer long.  When the fall came about, my Sister harvested all the remainders and dried them and ground them up.  Added some sea salt to it and that has sat on my counter all winter.  I add the celery salt to everything, and man oh man is that good.  Even Whoppos and chickens get a heavy sprinkling of celery salt (quite chunky) on them, what a flavour!!!!  If you haven't tried to grow celery, give it a whirl.  Do you have a place where you buy a package of seeds, it would be worth it for ya.  Beautiful and wonderful day, lovin' life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline reinbeau

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #33 on: April 03, 2008, 06:01:44 pm »
Cindi, I'll bet fresh celery is delicious, but I really don't think it would grow well here.  It needs steady water, and we get way too dry here, then suffer with water bans, so I'd have a hard time keeping it well hydrated.  Someday, when I have a well, I'll give it a try.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #34 on: April 03, 2008, 11:32:01 pm »
Ann, right, makes sense.  Now all I gotta say to you is, starting digging girl, you'd be surprised what you might find, hee, hee, beautiful day in this great life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #35 on: April 07, 2008, 12:48:57 pm »
all of my garlic is growing big green tops and survived the winter well. I just received my onion plants and will plant them tomorrow. Getting so excited to finally get the season going full steam. I expanded my veggie garden to about 50x20 ft, w/ one rasied box. Never got around to building more this year. Now tonight i will start my radishes and salad greens. Yummy.
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Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #36 on: April 09, 2008, 06:45:16 am »
where did you get your onion plants from? I ordered mine from Browns in Texas. I should be getting them next week. And what varieties didja get?

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #37 on: April 09, 2008, 11:10:48 am »
where did you get your onion plants from? I ordered mine from Browns in Texas. I should be getting them next week. And what varieties didja get?
I got mine off ebay this year. Last year from Wilhite nursery in texas. Starter plants from both. The ones fro ebay appear to be healthier and they gave me so many too. I paid $23 w/ shipping for 160 walla wallas, 120 candy, 160 red burger. I definately got an extra bunch of reds and walla wallas too. They shipped my order to the wrong person i emailed them and they fixed prob, and gave me xtra to boot. If they grow well, I have a winner.

Garlic question- someone suggested cutting the tops of the greens after sprouting. Can I do this now? My elephant garlic is already close to a foot high(thick and luscious tops too), and my italin and roumanian hot varities are about six inches already.

One more onion question too- I strted ny plants from little plants. Sellers also offer starter sets "bulbs". Are these superior resulting in bigger onions?
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #38 on: April 10, 2008, 08:57:34 am »
Konasdad, my 2 cents.  I am not sure why anyone would cut off the tops of the garlic, I never do.  Plants need as much foliage as they can get to draw in the sunshine to create photosynthesis (kind of plain and simply).  I am of the belief that the more leaves, the better the plants will grow.  I personally would never cut the leaves of garlic.  I DO though cut leaves off now and then to put into cooked foods or into salads, etc.  A part of a leaf now and then won't hurt the plant.  You may hear more chime in here.

When I start onions and leaks by seed in the greenhouse, when they are about 6 inches high I do cut the leaves down somewhat.  But that is only because the greens can get far too lanky to be healthy grown indoors.  It strengthens the roots instead of putting growth to the above soil part of the plant.

That would be the only reason why I would see someone saying to trim the tops.  But your plants have been established in the ground, the bulbs growing below ground all winter long, they don't need that power boost for the root (bulb) now.  They have already done that all winter long.  Personally, I would just let them grow.  I have always had the most beautiful and wonderfully enormous bulbs by letting Mother Nature do her thing.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline thomashton

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Re: Garlic and other fall veggies
« Reply #39 on: April 17, 2008, 02:03:48 pm »
I don't cut the tops off of my garlic--just the flower head. You'll know which one it is because of the bulge it will grow. Also, it is usually curly.

As for harvesting--DO NOT do it too late. What will happen is that the bulb will dry out in the ground and begin to fall apart. You will harvest a handfull of dirt and a few loose cloves. Cindi has great advice to harvest when the top is about 1/3 dead. That way you will know the bulb/head will be intact, and it you have softnect, the leaves will be pliable enough to braid.

If you get into August it is probably too late. At least here in Northern Utah (Zone 5a).
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