Garlic question

I have undug garlic from last fall that is sprouting at about 6 inches anyone know if I can dig and seperate and replant and still get a mature garlic or do you think it will be set back because of damage? Thanks Ernie

I think I would go ahead and dig to see what is down there. If the bulb is fairly intact it won't be able to produce nice fat kids so you may as well use what is large enough and replant the rest.

Basically, a good look at one bulb when you dig it should tell you the best course of action.

I've had shallots I failed to dig, and that's what I have done with them. I'd re-plant the fatter cloves, though, as it will give you a better yield.

I dug them up and shook them apart lots of good strong roots so I put them in a raised bed with lime and lots of good aged cow stuff..

I may be a little late though because they were more like 12 inches not six they seemed to be happy with the nove because I don't see a sign of stress but this is only day one. Ernie

eweed, did you plant the garlic cloves last fall or was it garlic that you didn't harvest last year?

another question:
If I just want to plant garlic to keep the rodents away from my plants, can I leave it in the ground? Can I buy some cloves at the grocery store and just stick them in? I'm not a big user of garlic, but the benefit from it's repellent properties has me interested.

Mistymedows it is garlic I did not harvest last fall. I dug it up and found good roots forming and all signs of a outter skin that surrounds the thing gone just little single shoots with roots so I shook and teased them apart. I replanted the bigger ones and they don't look as if they care. Ernie

Ernie, I asked because we did that last year and they did not do well. They will make very small bulbs and I believe we ended up just using the garlic scapes. I asked DH about it and he said that perhaps if you left them and dug them up this fall and then replanted, you might have better luck. Having said all that, you've moved them, so lets see what happens. I hope you get great garlic. :) Kathy

Kathy I kinda expect this to be a flop but I will have some good garlic this year that I planted mid sept. Linda weeded our onions today while I made potting soil for her to make some baskets with for us and a couple for gifts. I saw a flat of impatients being bootlegged out the green house door along with a hand full of onions I have growing as an experiment They were planted in aug and are supposed to be ready in early june.

MIL only comes to plunder never to help turn weeds under lol. Ernie

I have elaphant garlic getting ready to go flower or seed and don't know if I should treat it like onions and lop off the thing or let it flower a bit to watch it bloom. Suggestions please thanks ernie.

Kathy dixondale onion plants are doing great if you see this thanks a bunch. Just finished weeding 180 feet of the sweet things it is 74 degrees and rained yesterday for the first time in a couple weeks and then it was just a misting no pun lol.Ernie

I lop them off, Ernie. (They are purty seed heads though, eh?)

It certainly won't hurt them if you are just gonna grow them as ornamentals though.

Yes, I would lop them also. I am so glad your onions are doing wonderful. Ours are awesome!!! I have been waiting for a good sunny, quiet day to take a picture and post. We picked some of our red ones as green onions this past weekend, they are very good :)

The ayes have it then off with their heads all except one just to watch grow and do its thing. Shoe I think I like the foliage so much I may just put 30 or so in a clump in a flower bed and just let them go next year.

Kathy the onions can't help but grow well here this year it is the warmest dryest sunnyest year I can remember. But you need to remember I am a man and Linda claims I have selective hearing and memory lol.Now thats just not true I have never forgotten my birthday yet lol.

Thanks to both of you off to lop. Ernie

Ernie, We have the opposite, we are having the wettest, hottest spring we've had and our onions are singing praises. Sorry Ernie, I'm with Linda where MEN are concerned. Us womenfolk stick together you know :)

BTW, the scapes when they flower are beautiful and a whole field of them is awesome. :)

Our garlic is not flowering yet, but looks wonderful.

Kathy yes I know lol.

I know onions like water but when it rains here it usually lowers the temp so much they don't like that . At least thats my theory. We are about five inches behind but I don't care I have an excellant well and a good pump.

The onions I started from seed are doing awesome I planted them as little slivers in Feb and they are getting with it.

Ok maybe not a field but how about a four by twelve raised bed. Would that put on a show? Ernie

Absolutely Ernie, I think even a row would put on a show, LOL. We've got to meet one day, I can tell you are just as much of a cut up as Shoe and myself!!! :) Kathy

Kathy coffee is on what you see is what I is kinda dunb but honest no sense going through life all up tight lol. Ernie

Kathy hard to believe I asked this question about five weeks ago. I just pulled up one of those transplants and found a tiny garlic about marble sized. It came from a not looking so good plant. Odds are Ralphs thoughts may be dead on with growing these for seed and replanting them in the fall.

Here I am trying to cut back on what to grow and I just planted some shallots a passerby brought me to try he brought them from where he lived in Texas .I know they will grow because I planted them with fruit of the cow. I got shallots and red runner beans he got tomato and pepper plants and plans for a tomato house like the one I am finishing and speaking of finishing I better get back to it later Ernie

This message was edited May 31, 2004 4:46 PM

" fruit of the cow"...

HAH! Perfect description! ;>)

Ferdinand would have gotten hot if anything of his was described as fruity. Ernie

Can you blame him? Ha, ha...love it....fruit of the cow...I would've thought it was milk. LOL

:>)