Planting Garlic

**Durgan** · 10-09-2010, 06:21 PM

9 October 2010 Planting garlic 9 October 2010 Planting Garlic. Hardneck Garlic (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon) rocambole or serpent garlic. This type of garlic produces a curved scape and at the top bulblets form, which are not seed but clones of the main clove. Bulblets take about three years to attain full size, by successive plantings.

The bed is 64 square feet, and 196 cloves were planted, bulblets, garlic from my crop in 2010, garlic purchased from a Farmers Market in the Summer, and some of the smaller cloves to determine if they produce as well as the larger cloves. The spacing is essentially six inches between cloves, and depth is about two inches between the top of the clove and the soil surface.

After planting a layer of compost was added, and after the next heavy rainfall, he bed will be covered with about 3 to 4 inches of wood chip mulch. A raised bed was made, since that area of the garden can get wet if rainfall is excessive. Usually the planting date is about the 25 of October, but it was so beautiful today that I considered a few days early wont be a problem.

**Durgan** · 10-15-2010, 07:59 AM

Garlic is one of the easiest plants to grow. Three or four bulbs purchased anywhere can be planted along a lawn or edge of a flower bed. Four bulbs will give about 20 plants of excellent garlic. No care, no fuss. Everybody who eats garlic should grow some.

**Lindsey** · 10-16-2010, 01:28 PM

Thank you for sharing! I think I will plant some this year! Can this be done in containers? I live in an apartment with a balcony.

**Durgan** · 10-16-2010, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Lindsey

Thank you for sharing! I think I will plant some this year! Can this be done in containers? I live in an apartment with a balcony.

I have never planted garlic in containers, but can imagine no objections.
The pot should be 5 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep for one clove. I suspect it should grow well. Worth a try anyway.

**Labontet** · 10-16-2010, 06:21 PM

Thanks Durgan for the Garlic information. This is on my list for this next year's planting.

How about Shallots? Are they planted similar to garlic in how they are planted?

**Durgan** · 10-16-2010, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by Labontet

Thanks Durgan for the Garlic information. This is on my list for this next year's planting.

How about Shallots? Are they planted similar to garlic in how they are planted?

Shallots and/or multiplier onions should grow well in a 5 by 8 inch pot. I have never tried such though.

**Labontet** · 10-17-2010, 09:40 AM

Thanks Durgan. I am going to give this a try. Hopefully I can raise some garlic this next year with some degree of success.

I am also going to try the shallots.

**Paws** · 10-17-2010, 05:15 PM

We love garlic, especially fresh!
I'm so gonna try this!!

Thanks for sharing!

**Labontet** · 10-18-2010, 06:30 AM

I believe that garlic should be its own food group. :-)

**littleplum** · 10-22-2010, 05:22 PM

Folks who are new to growing garlic should know that the small cloves should not be planted. You can plant them, and they WILL grow, but the size of the clove is an indication of how big the final bulb will be. Tiny clove = tiny bulb.

Just for fun, I planted some tiny cloves (the ones from the very inside of the bulb) and I wound up with dime sized bulbs. Very cute, but not very practical.

**Durgan** · 10-22-2010, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by littleplum

Folks who are new to growing garlic should know that the small cloves should not be planted. You can plant them, and they WILL grow, but the size of the clove is an indication of how big the final bulb will be. Tiny clove = tiny bulb.

Just for fun, I planted some tiny cloves (the ones from the very inside of the bulb) and I wound up with dime sized bulbs. Very cute, but not very practical.

I planted about 20 of the small inside cloves to test the assumption once and for all, about smaller bulbs being produced by smaller cloves. I have read that it makes little difference, but will know about next July.

There is much misinformation regarding various gardening practices, that get propagated in Gardening Books and now on the Internet.

To name a few:
Upside down tomatoes,
Potatoes grow along the stem so high hilling is beneficial.
Growing potatoes in tires
Red mulch under tomato plants,
Removing suckers from tomato plants.
Epsom salts for tomato plants.

**littleplum** · 10-22-2010, 07:17 PM

This is what I wound up with

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...c35f59d0_m.jpg

I used them (they tasted great). I just had to pop the whole little fist into the hopper of my garlic press and press the whole thing.

Good luck with your experiment. Although 200 cloves sounds almost like you are growing for small scale commercial purposes?

**Durgan** · 10-22-2010, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by littleplum

This is what I wound up with

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/...c35f59d0_m.jpg

I used them (they tasted great). I just had to pop the whole little fist into the hopper of my garlic press and press the whole thing.

Good luck with your experiment. Although 200 cloves sounds almost like you are growing for small scale commercial purposes?

I suspect something else is at play with you results. I have grown the inside small cloves in the past, but never kept a record, and never had anything like what you depict. Even growing the bulblets the first year, I had three small cloves.