2014 Garlic Pulled and Curing

Father'sDaughter · July 4, 2014

After prepping the rest of my garden for our predicted heavy rain and high winds (compliments of Hurricane Arthur), I took a long look at my garlic and decided to go ahead and pull it. I was hoping to give it another week, but yesterday the soil was nice and dry, and I was afraid of possible rotting if we do get the three or more inches of rain they're predicting.

Music didn't do well again this year. It used to be my biggest and best producer, but all were small and many heads were already rotted. I've already pre-ordered new seed stock for next year. I also left one in the ground as I missed it's scape, so I'm hoping it flowers and produces bulbils. I've never gone that route before but figure why not give it a try.

German Red all came up healthy, but not that large. Not sure if I will replant it yet.

Spanish Roja and German White were the best of the lot -- nice, big healthy heads. They will definitely be back.

RayR · July 4, 2014

Too bad you had to pull early, it would be another week or two before the bulbs reach full size.

Father'sDaughter · July 4, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

Too bad you had to pull early, it would be another week or two before the bulbs reach full size.

I never let them go past the point where there are less than five green leaves left and most were getting close. I think I was only a few days early at most.

Tormato · July 7, 2014

I'm between rain storms for a few days, so I pulled the French Gray Griselle shallots. Garlic and multiplier onions will be next. I always let garlic go until there are only two or three leaves not entirely brown.

Gary

Father'sDaughter · July 7, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormato

I'm between rain storms for a few days, so I pulled the French Gray Griselle shallots. Garlic and multiplier onions will be next. I always let garlic go until there are only two or three leaves not entirely brown.

Gary

I considered pulling the French Gray Griselle shallots today, but didn't. Now we're having a horrific storm with flooding rain, house-shaking thunder, and high winds, so they will need to stay a bit longer.

And I had always read/been told that garlic should have at least five or six green leaves left in order to have enough layers on the heads for long time storage. Is that not true?

JJJessee · July 7, 2014

This is my second year with garlic.
I planted about 300 cloves Dec 10, which is a little late for our region.
I may have gotten a bit larger if planted earlier.
Somewhere I read to wait until about 3 bottom leaves are dead and that's pretty much what I pulled by.

I hung it the next day, and I've had a fan on it ever since (about 2 weeks). It's almost dry.

TightenUp · July 8, 2014

this was my first year growing garlic. Tried Thai purple, romanian red, Keeper and corsican.

I'll have to check but one of the above did not grow well, the rest did great. my plants were about half brown when i pulled from my southern NJ garden on july 4th wknd. hanging now, cant wait to try

bower · July 9, 2014

Our scapes have just started to emerge, and although we are always later than you guys, my friend checked the farm journal and we are later than last year, they had scapes in the CSA share in the second week of July and it's not happening yet this time.

Most of my garlic is Music, which I grew from bulbils that formed on some scapes in my vegetable bin the season before last... I spaced them an inch apart in a big tray, and they produced the good sized rounds that I planted last fall... can't believe they are big enough to make scapes, and garlic, after just two years.

It's true they're not all full size, but I'm happy to see any, as I've read it could take as long as 4 years.
The one Leningrad I got from the farm is also putting on the scape, but Chesnok Red are not.. they are nice big plants though.

CrazyAboutOrchids · July 18, 2014

My garlic was pretty much a bust this year from what I've checked out so far. I've grown the past few years building up so I was supplying my own stock to plant. I've managed at least the last 2 or 3 years to have stock plus enough for most of the year for the 5 of us. I don't know if it was our extremely cold CT winter this year, or if it got hurt by the cold, then warm, then frost, but mine just did not do well at all. I haven't pulled half of it, but the Music that I pulled never really developed much at all. Small heads, the greens were not healthy and bountiful like previous years so I wasn't sure when to pull, most green died off shortly after the scapes unlike previous years where they slowly died off but the bulbs continued to develop. Bulbs broke apart, never developed at all, or very small development that isn't really useful to me. I left it in the ground too long after the greens died, but that was because there was so little development. The other side of the garden still has green growing so I've left that and will keep checking development.

I'll be ordering stock this year to start over again. Very disappointed though.

July 4, 2014	#1
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,917	2014 Garlic Pulled and Curing After prepping the rest of my garden for our predicted heavy rain and high winds (compliments of Hurricane Arthur), I took a long look at my garlic and decided to go ahead and pull it. I was hoping to give it another week, but yesterday the soil was nice and dry, and I was afraid of possible rotting if we do get the three or more inches of rain they're predicting. Music didn't do well again this year. It used to be my biggest and best producer, but all were small and many heads were already rotted. I've already pre-ordered new seed stock for next year. I also left one in the ground as I missed it's scape, so I'm hoping it flowers and produces bulbils. I've never gone that route before but figure why not give it a try. German Red all came up healthy, but not that large. Not sure if I will replant it yet. Spanish Roja and German White were the best of the lot -- nice, big healthy heads. They will definitely be back.

July 8, 2014	#7
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	this was my first year growing garlic. Tried Thai purple, romanian red, Keeper and corsican. I'll have to check but one of the above did not grow well, the rest did great. my plants were about half brown when i pulled from my southern NJ garden on july 4th wknd. hanging now, cant wait to try __________________

July 4, 2014	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Too bad you had to pull early, it would be another week or two before the bulbs reach full size.

July 7, 2014	#4
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,959	I'm between rain storms for a few days, so I pulled the French Gray Griselle shallots. Garlic and multiplier onions will be next. I always let garlic go until there are only two or three leaves not entirely brown. Gary

July 7, 2014	#6
JJJessee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Abingdon, Va Posts: 184	This is my second year with garlic. I planted about 300 cloves Dec 10, which is a little late for our region. I may have gotten a bit larger if planted earlier. Somewhere I read to wait until about 3 bottom leaves are dead and that's pretty much what I pulled by. I hung it the next day, and I've had a fan on it ever since (about 2 weeks). It's almost dry.

July 9, 2014	#8
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,793	Our scapes have just started to emerge, and although we are always later than you guys, my friend checked the farm journal and we are later than last year, they had scapes in the CSA share in the second week of July and it's not happening yet this time. Most of my garlic is Music, which I grew from bulbils that formed on some scapes in my vegetable bin the season before last... I spaced them an inch apart in a big tray, and they produced the good sized rounds that I planted last fall... can't believe they are big enough to make scapes, and garlic, after just two years. It's true they're not all full size, but I'm happy to see any, as I've read it could take as long as 4 years. The one Leningrad I got from the farm is also putting on the scape, but Chesnok Red are not.. they are nice big plants though.

July 18, 2014	#9
CrazyAboutOrchids Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Zone 6 - CT Posts: 150	My garlic was pretty much a bust this year from what I've checked out so far. I've grown the past few years building up so I was supplying my own stock to plant. I've managed at least the last 2 or 3 years to have stock plus enough for most of the year for the 5 of us. I don't know if it was our extremely cold CT winter this year, or if it got hurt by the cold, then warm, then frost, but mine just did not do well at all. I haven't pulled half of it, but the Music that I pulled never really developed much at all. Small heads, the greens were not healthy and bountiful like previous years so I wasn't sure when to pull, most green died off shortly after the scapes unlike previous years where they slowly died off but the bulbs continued to develop. Bulbs broke apart, never developed at all, or very small development that isn't really useful to me. I left it in the ground too long after the greens died, but that was because there was so little development. The other side of the garden still has green growing so I've left that and will keep checking development. I'll be ordering stock this year to start over again. Very disappointed though.