Garlic garden

[blissful]

I'm sorry I've been MIA lately, though I check in most nights to read all your good posts. I miss you all.

This last week-end I put in a garlic garden. Prepared the soil by adding composted manure, more soil, straw, rototilling it into a nice loose base. Planted about 350 cloves of garlic with the hope of having 350 globes/bulbs of garlic by next July. Covered with 4-6 inches of straw.
I love garlic, but, this will be more than I'll need, so maybe I'll sell some of it.
Anyone else have a garlic garden?
I made sure all the cloves were planted solidly upright, w/root section down, 2 inches into the dirt, spacing rows at 1 foot, spacing cloves in rows at 8 inches. I'm really excited about it. My co-workers think it's wierd to be planting in the fall and suspect my neighbors were laughing at me when I planted on Sunday.
Bliss

[texherp]

I planted garlic about a week ago, too. I sprouted them from store-bought cloves in a pot. Winter is the only time we can grow them down here so it's not weird at all to me! They're so cheap at the store, I'm really only growing them for fun. I'm gonna try and make one of those braided garlic wreaths.

[Cookbook Shop]

Bliss, not weird at all. I just planted garlic a couple weeks ago and it's growing fast! This is the time of year we plant in the Southwest as AJ said. I planted some sprouted cloves that I had in my refrigerator. This is the first time growing garlic for me... only I planted just a handful (and a lot of other things, vegies mostly). Maybe you could "can" some of your abundant garlic for gifts for friends and family too! My son is crazy for garlic stuffed jalapenos. LOL... He buys them at farmers markets. Cindy

[blissful]

Well that's three of us.
I've heard you can plant them in pots too.
I like those braids too, I wonder what they sell for these days.
I don't know that garlic can be canned, I've not heard that.
Garlic stuffed jalapeno's sound interesting, I'll have to search out some recipes and see if there are some out there.
Garlic chicken, roasted garlic spread on toasted bread, garlic butter.....what is garlic not good with?
I hear that when garlic is harvested, it needs to be brushed clean of dirt and hung up to dry and they need to dry very well to last 10-12 months in cool dry storage.

[SourCream15]

just curious, do you guys notice a difference in taste when you grow the garlic yourself? I am thinking about doing it so I was so wondering. Thanks!

[vyapti]

I'm doing a winter garden for the first time this year. I grew up in a cold winter climate, so winter gardening does seem weird. I just planted garlic, shallots and onions in one of my beds and in pots. I hope it goes well.

And, picked garlic is a good way to preserve a bumper crop. It's delicious. Just make sure you're alone or that everyone is eating it. It does a number on your breath ;)

[Constance]

We have a cold weather climate here in Illinois, but garlic is still planted in the fall. That's just the way it's grown.

[Chef Munky]

Not sure about canning garlic myself..Sometimes it's just easier to buy it already prepared.You can pickle and dehydrate garlic..

Gourmet Garlic Gardens Preserving Garlic

Munky.

[bethzaring]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef Munky Not sure about canning garlic myself..Sometimes it's just easier to buy it already prepared.You can pickle and dehydrate garlic.. Gourmet Garlic Gardens Preserving Garlic Munky.

Great link about garlic, Munky, thanks!

I grow the Porcelain variety mentioned in the link. It is almost time to plant it here where I live, between mid October and mid November. I have had good luck selling planting stock through eBay. We tried to grow about 700 bulbes in 2008/2009 and lost a full 20% to rot, it was too wet in the garden where the garlic was planted. I have started to dry garlic; in powder, granules and chips. I love garlic!

[larry_stewart]

I do it every year as well. Dont be alarmed if when u get a warm week in november or december, the start to emerge from the ground a few inches. Ive had that happen to me almost every year, but the plants are hardy enough to survive the winter ( at least here in NY). I havnt planted mine yet, thanks for reminding me .