From: zaphod@ctrg.rri.uwo.ca (Lance R. Bailey) Subject: Re: Growing garlic in Mass. Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 18:33:43 GMT on Mon, 13 Sep 93 16:48:05 GMT christi farinelli wrote in rec.gardens: > in early to mid May. Of these 30 cloves, only about 10 actuall > sprouted. I think mistake one. > not very good about keeping down the weeds and don't know if that > choked out the mistake two > way it should be)? And if I'm planting it in the fall, can I just > buy garlic at the grocery store and use that? Is there some trick > to seperating out the cloves? mistake three i've been growing garlic for a number of years -- and i only got good after reading an article in the Canadian Harrowsmith, about a year ago. the OG that got delivered on friday had an article on growing garlic -- and they claimed [correctly] that it was easy to grow. (an article in OG 8 months ago incorrectly claimed it was hard to grow) yes you want to plant in the fall -- late fall. i plant in mid november. spacing is about 6 inches apart. depth is (i think) 3-4 inches. when buying garlic, remember that chain-store stuff is often grown outside of your zone -- so get some locally-grown garlic. garlic likes sun and garlic likes to keep its roots cool. garlic does not compete with weeds. buy nice large heads, and separate into cloves. do not peel. plant very late in the season, so that roots will develop, but a minimum of greenery (i get maybe 1/2 inch before snow hits). in the fall, keep the area clear of weeds, and use shallow cultivation, garlic is fragile -- pulling the weeds works best for me. when the garlic starts to make flower stalks, break the stalks off before they make seed heads. if you don't, your bulbs will be half size. this is bad. harvest when the plants start to droop and trun brown (late july), dry as you would onions. -- Lance R. Bailey System/Network Manager Robarts Research Institute NeXT/email: zaphod@ctrg.rri.uwo.ca box: Clinical Trials Resources Group fax: +1 519 663 3789 P.O. Box 5015, 100 Perth Dr. vox: +1 519 663 3787 x4108 London, Canada N6A 5K8 Never teach a pig to sing;it wastes your time and annoys the pig. -- Mark Twain === From: tomm@cup.hp.com (Tom McNeal) Subject: Re: Growing garlic in Mass. Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 18:34:57 GMT christi farinelli (cdf@aries.com) wrote: : This year I tried growing garlic for the first time (note the word : "tried"). Bravo! Garlic is terrific when fresh. Totally different than what you get in a store. : have heard that garlic can (should?) be planted in the fall. Now for the bad news - Your climate (Massachussets) isn't particularly ideal for garlic. They do say to plant it in the fall, but that assumes that the ground will not freeze over the winter. Out here (thirty miles north of Gilroy, the self proclaimed garlic capitol of the world), that makes sense. In MA, it doesn't. : the grocery store and use that? I've had good luck with garlic from the store, but I wouldn't recommend it for you, particularly since some it was already rotten. Order some from one of the western seed outfits, like Shepard's (if they have it), or Ronninger's (they specialize in potatoes, but have garlic). I don't have any addresses handy (so what good is this workstation, anyway, if I don't keep my addresses here?). I'll look tonight. : (I just pulled them apart like I do when using it for cooking). The cloves need to be hard, and you just separate it from the bulb, like you suggest, without tearing the root end. Don't skin them. You planted them at the right time (for you), but they may be pretty sensitive to weeds, so I'd be vigilant about it next time. Plant them one to two inches down, in loose soil. : Any and all help would be GREATLY appreciated! Try getting a copy of "Growing Great Garlic", by Ron Englund. A very good reference. Tom McNeal ------------------------------------------------------------------- tomm@hpindada.cup.hp.com Tom McNeal at Hewlett-Packard's Information Networks Division 19410 Homestead Rd., M.S. 43UE, Cupertino, CA 95014 (408)447-2300 -------------------------------------------------------------------