Garlic planting question

Hi,

I am getting ready to plant my garlic today. When separating the cloves, some cloves had their outer skin completely peeled off, baring the clove. Are those cloves still OK to plant?

Yep.

Thanks!!

I'm getting ready to plant my garlic, too. So, skin on, skin off, it makes no difference to the garlic when you plant?

Essential, what kind of garlic are you planting? I've got a bunch of different varieties. This is going to be fun (unless the critters get them first).

Hi White,

I planted (so far) Bavarian Purple, Chesnok Red, German Porcelain and Premium Northern White. Waiting for Belarus, Western Rose and Chinese Pink to arrive. Also planted French shallots and Egyptian Walking onions today. Happy to see that the skunks had left the new planting alone at least for the first night!

White_Hydrangea - when I planted garlic in the past, the critters that loved my tulips did not touch the garlic or daffodils. That was when I lived in a milder climate. The critters here might be more inclined to eat aything when they wake up from the cold winter snooze... Of course, now I also have canine critters who LOVE garlic, but that is another story! I am planting mine in raised beds with chicken wire a foot below them and chicken wire laid on the surface above them for added protection - just in case. Never knew that the garden would become a war zone!

I didn't get around to planting garlic yet - is it too late? (Thank you)

Not familiar with your zone, 4paws but I'd still go ahead and plant some. Garlic does best if they get a bit of a cold growth so hope you can still plant them, let them root well and enjoy some cooler weather. I say go for it! Love my garlic!

Shoe.

Oh, I do too, and I've got the bulbs in the fridge. A friends grows a large field of it, and I bought 10# last summer; it might make it to spring before I run out. I doubt I can grow all I can eat! Thanks!

I've got quite a few clumps of undug garlic sprouting out in my garden. The weeds got too heavy in the summer and I "lost" them, a far too common occurance for me. Anyway, if I separate them out and replant, will I get a whole bulb when it matures or just a clove?

Hi everyone, I was wondering what the watering requirements are for newly planted garlic cloves.

This is my first Fall planting of garlic. I did some this past Spring and was happy with the outcome. Here is the kind I planted:
Shvelris, Georgian Crystal, Broad Leaf Czech, Georgian Fire, Russian Giant, Chet's Italian, Music, Siberian and Elephant.

Dann_L ---- I'm not sure if this helps you in your zone (I'm z5), but My Garlic Planting Guide from Seedsavers Exchange says to water in the garlic at the time of planting. Then it says: "Garlic needs about 1" of water per week during the growing season. Cease all watering about June 1st; this allows the bulbs to form better and harvest more easily."

Mine went into the ground in October and I've only watered them once and that was after I planted them. Some of the shoots are 5"-6" long already. I also put grass mulch on top of the bed cuz I read somewhere that they like it.

roseone...if you separate them you'll get a bulb. Depending on your weather and how far along the root system is will depend on how big the bulb will be. I'd divide them and go for it but you'll need to do it soon and not put it off. If you like, why not divide some, replant them, and then leave some to sprout as is...those garlic greens are fantastic eating, ya know! Just clip them as they grow and use them as is.

Dann L...I just plant my cloves and let natural rainfall water them in, unless it is a super dry Fall. Once they are settled in I don't water at all until active growth begins again in the later winter. You'll want as much top growth as you can get so water and feed at that time.

lafko...you have a great selection there! Hope you let us know which ones are your favorite when you harvest! Yummy!

Shoe.

This message was edited Dec 29, 2006 12:53 PM

33 each clove will make a head so seperate and plant. I even start them in the gh to encourage growth.Ernie

i have never grown garlic. i live in upstate new york zone 5b. can you plant garlic in a five gallon container or in a container that with large but only 7 inches deep.?? also, when can i plant them. one more thing, can i use the garlic cloves that i can buy in the store that are already pelled and put into a plastic container??
thanks

Herbie, no reason you couldn't grow garlic in the container you mention, just make sure the soil is rich. I would go with a head you pick up at the store in full clove form rather than those pre-peeled ones. From what I've seen of them they have a lot of the root area trimmed off and may have been treated with something to remove the skin and inhibit growth.

PS, Shoe, thanks, I will try to get some transplanted in the next few days and see what I get.

roseone33 - thanks but when should i plant them. also, can i plant them in MG container potting soil.?????

Herbie, you can plant them now if you like, just make sure your containers don't freeze over solidly. Once the cloves get roots they can handle pretty extreme cold weather and will grow ever so slowly until topgrowth begins again in the Spring. And yes, you should feel comfortable using potting mix. Watch out for most of the bagged "potting soils" because some don't drain very well and are intended for mixing into the ground, not so much for containers. It should say on the bag if they are suitable for containers.

And like roseone said, you might want to add some Black Kow or compost or something to enrich the potting mix.

Shoe.

Herbie, go with Shoe's guidance. But I'm pretty sure you might want to wait a bit unless you can keep your containers in a more sheltered location. I know it gets cold, (or it used to!) in the Hudson valley and I don't think it would be much good to have your planter frozen solid. When I was growing up we could see huge ice floes floating down the Hudson and there was a wicked wind blowing off that ice blowing on my bare legs when I walked to school. (Yes, for you young folks, it was all uphill, both ways...:-))

Heheheh...and you were chased by big dogs with huge mouths at both ends of their bodies, right!? Boy howdy, I'll never forget those days, roseone!

*grin

lol
Big dogs are always following me somewhere!
I like the idea of garlic in containers. Solves the problem of what area I could dig and not have help from the dogs after I'm done.

one last queston. can i put the containers in my unheated garage when it won't freeze up but then do i have to give it artificial light and when do i put them outside for good?? thanks and have patience with me. LOL

Hi Herbie, well I'm in here way over my head, but it does seem like you could put the containers in the garage. They wouldn't need any light until the green tips broke the surface. I googled "growing garlic in containers" and came up with a few websites that offer information that may be helpful to you. You may as well give it a try since you have nothing to lose but a head of garlic and a container. If nothing else, you'll get sprouted garlic greens which are tasty to snip into meals. Good luck and keep us posted.

thanks. i think i have found a good spot. in the front of my house i have 3 evergreen bushes. i can place the container in between then which would give they some cover plus they will be near enough to the house to get some heat from the walls.

will check out the web sites.

Herbie, you put me to work today! :>)

I had a few cloves of Inchelium red garlic sitting around that didn't get planted in the ground. Thinking of you and your containers, super freezing weather, etc, I pulled my DD's little red wagon off the wall where it's hung for 7 yrs. (Don't worry, she has not attraction to it these days!)

I drilled some holes for drainage, put in some potting soil and and Black Kow, a handful of phosphorus, and planted my garlic in it. Now I have a "garlic patch on wheels"! (Not that I'll need to get it out of the Winter weather but just wanted to see how they grew in there! Hey, maybe next year I can take it to the mkt and sell them as a "pick you own" garlic!)

Will let you know how it turns out for future reference!

Shoe.

wiat till your daughter finds out what you did to her little red wagon. i hope she insists that ou buy her a little red mustang. LOL happy new year.

Well, I just wanted to come back and report. I waited too late to get the garlic in the ground, but I planted mine in a big contianer, and I too have it nestled in some shrubs in front of the house, and they are showing green Do I move them to the unheated garage and give them light now? I really never expected them to sprout. Help I don't want to commit planticide this early in the year.

Hi defoecat,

I planted my garlic in October. I don't know when you got yours in the ground, but mine has lots of greens now and have been under a light snowcover for a few days - I would leave them outside - but I am no garlic expert, it's my first year growing it.

One of the farmers at our local farmer's market told us that he got some of his best garlic from garlic that was planted quite late in the season - about mid November I believe.

Thanks essential planet. I think I will just leave them where they are.

I wonder why it's okay to do a spring planting of garlic, yet we can't plant garlic any time during the fall or winter as long as the ground isn't frozen?

lafko, I'm not sure you can't plant them in the Fall. A friend of mine in Canada plants his in the Fall and he grows thousands of cloves. I believe if you get them in early enough so they have a good root system before they are smothered by snow they should do fine. Just remember, some varieties are more suited to wintering over than others. Maybe we should research a bit and find out which ones are best suited for that, eh?

defoe, (howdy!)...if your garlic is sprouting, no worries! They should be fine as long as the soil in your container doesn't freeze solidly, which is what happens with some container plantings in the Winter. I'd keep the soil just a tad bit moist (barely). If you are worried about them freezing just don't let the soil in the container dry out completely; dry soil during extreme freezing weather will also freeze your roots.

Shoe.

Shoe, I was so surprised to see the sprouts. It was like well, okay I will put you guys in the pot, but bet I won't see you again. I am just so excited that there is something green growing. At least if they don't make cloves, I can use the green stuff!! So now I want to know the next step. Will they grow something like onions, then when they are mature the foliage will die back? Remember I am a new garlic mom, and everything under my care has to be analized, understood and properly cared for. You would laugh at me talking to my hundreds of tomato seedlings in the spring.

I also discovered today, that I had sprouted 3 new daylily noids. I just plopped them old seed in pots, and I got three babies. Is it a full moon? LOL, No I am not crazy, just excited about all my sprouts.

If they're sprouting that means they are alive and well! If you get too curious you could gently pull one up (stick your finger or a spoon underneath one and pull up, that way you won't pull the roots off). If you pull one up and see roots you're doing good! And yes, you can easily just replant it back in the same spot.

The tops will grow a bit for now then level off growing. If you don't have much plant food/fertilizer in your container you could give them a small dose of nitrogen now to encourage topgrowth, but not much. If you use fish emulsion that would be great to water them with.

When the days begin to warm you'll see more top growth. When the days really begin to get longer the bulb will be sizing up so don't feed any nitrogen at that time.

You'll see, you're gonna love that garlic planter!

Shoe

Thanks Shoe, I will go out and gently lift one tomorrow and see what's below that surface. I didn't think to check my winter sown stuff, I really will be excited if I find some sprouts there.

Hi defoecat,

Here are some good links with advice on when to harvest:

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growing.htm#anchor17762007

http://www.garlic-central.com/growing/harvest.html

Good luck!

Thanks essentialplanet. Appreciate all the help I can get.

Hi all,

I have some white garlic that began growing little scapes in the container (we have two containers and I forgot one had some in it!) Can I plant these now? I have a spare container, but wanted to know before I loaded it up with soil if I'd be spinning my wheels or not.

Thanks,
~Sunny

Sunny, if the cloves still feel fairly firm (not super soft/mushy) you could go ahead and plant them. I just planted some about 3 weeks ago that were sprouting and they took right off!

Good luck!

Shoe

Cool thanks Horseshoe! Now I have to go find out what kind of sun they like. I have nice half day sun out on the patio area.

~S