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Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

Well my garlic is the tallest its been by early may.

Knee high average with 8-10 leaves, not as thick as I would like though, and the thickness issue bothers me. I am worried that it will be all plant and not bulb.

I added espoms salts, steamed bone meal. organic fertilizer. I will add triple phosphate this week.

But am I worried about the plant producing big plants and not big bulbs, any advice?

5/11/2009 9:38:53 AM

Ontario

Okay....coupla questions...how much space do you have between plants? What seed are you using? Are you in full sun, well drained soil?..
Bryan

5/12/2009 12:42:42 AM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

Hey Bryan, NICE garlic!!! That Smoked Kolbasa get's my mouth watering everytime I see that picture.

5/12/2009 1:48:02 AM

Ontario

OH YA.....the best.....my Baba and Dido's recipe...ask Phil Hunt...my mentor...ya never know...patch tour...GVGO... August...Kolbasa....BOOYAH......
When we make a batch from fresh garlic...the Kolbasa is supreme... This batch was from my Garlic...but as it is much older...it is missing that little extra bite....

Gunna get me some corn seeds this week....Cheers...

5/12/2009 1:54:20 AM

NILES , CALIF

Captain;
I dont put any fertilizer on it at this stage;
I make sure it does not flower.
I cut the flowers off, that way it will concentrate
on the bulb size.

5/12/2009 7:06:55 AM

Ontario

Old-rookie is right....the part of the plant he is talking about is the 'scape' and will take away from bulb growth. The scape in hardneck garlic is popped off when the seed head comes out and starts to curl. The scape is a wonderful part of the garlic that can be used in many recipes in the kitchen.... here is a link to a few recipes http://www.bethesdarenewalcentre.org/Scaperecipes.html

Fertilizing is important in the early leaf stage of the plants life...

Not sure what state your garlic is in Captain...but watch for the scape and pop off...or if they are there already, get rid of them for bulb growth. I normally leave a few on my plants, smaller bulb size, but stores a bit longer...good luck...

5/12/2009 10:20:57 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

Thanks guys, here is info

Space: about 4in apart just one row of garlic but one row on each side of the only row = 2 rows.

Well drained soil. watered every other day right now. haven't gotten much rain lately.

Temp averaing 40 for low 70's for high


Sun til 4pm

Type of garlic: Romanian Red.

No Scapes yet.

I think i have like 60ish plants (havent counted em lately. so should i let 1/5 of the plants with scapes mature? thus insureing me a longer storage of garlic.

I have never had garlic this big. all the plants came from cloves i grew in 2008.
Soil was stolen from longmont pete, Will W,madman marc and Joe Scherbers patch. LMAO just kidding. So I will have to ask em what their soil tests were and average the four

5/13/2009 3:15:49 PM

Oklahoma State Record Holder

I am starting to see scapes on mine. :)

5/13/2009 7:38:27 PM

Ontario

Okay Captain.......4in is not enough between plants... double that for next year, garlic sends out quite a large root structure, I also put a tbsp of bone meal under each clove when I plant. As far as the scapes, if you want to try and leave 10 of your plants go to seed, you can take a look at your bulb size to decide for yourself. Keep those ten aside and see how it lasts over the year. Snap off the scapes on the other 50 when you see the bulbis and the scape starts to curl. Good Growing to you....Bryan

5/14/2009 11:07:25 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

Noticed 1st scape today...and it is also on a Romanian Red!! Is this an early type garlic? Peace, Wayne
PS...my 8'x 10' raised garlic bed is looking better than the last two year...top of plants are thigh high and green as green can be!!! My best crop so far!!!

5/14/2009 11:16:44 PM

Ohio

First time trying garlic( one plant) I started mine from a shoot that grew out of a bulb that is now about 20 inches tall, how do you know when its ready to be harvested? I planted it about a month ago.

Brooks

5/15/2009 7:32:12 AM

Ontario

Wayne, this is likely normal, considering where you are, the earlier the garlic comes out of the ground, the earlier the scape will show up, keep an eye over the next week, they should start to curl, almost like a circle, then snap them off and cook with them.
Brooks, did you plant the whole bulb, or one of the cloves from the bulb? If it is a clove, you are trying spring garlic, should be ready near the end of July. Keep an eye out for the scape, after removing, you should have about another 4 to 6 weeks. You harvest garlic when there are 5 green leaves counting from the top down. Each leaf represtents a skin on the bulb in the ground, as the bulb grows the first leaf, then second, and so on, from the bottom of the plant start to brown off and die. 5 green leaves left, allows you to pull down the bottom leaf, cleaning the bulb, and leaving 3-4 skins covering the bulb.

5/15/2009 8:34:22 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I noticed scapes last night. Thinking of trying to eat some.

5/17/2009 2:35:49 PM

Ohio

BP, Thanks for the info!

5/17/2009 9:07:02 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

BP, where do I snap off the scape...near the plant, or near the curl? BTW, great explanation of when to harvest, I had heard this 5 green leaves thing before, but never the reasons why!!! Thanks!!! Peace, Wayne

5/19/2009 12:40:53 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Wayne, it doesn't matter so much, but I always try to get it as close to the top of the plant as possible. If you are going to eat the scapes you will want to pick them as early as possible when they are most tender. If you can, break off the scape as deep into the plant as possible and remove. The most tender part of the scape is the new growth down inside of the plant.

5/19/2009 5:56:19 AM

Ontario

yep...Duane has it nailed....I let the scapes go out till you see them curl...almost like a circle....then snap them off right by the top leaf....you will not need a knife at this early stage...just pop them off....you eat from the bottom right to the seed head.....good cooking to ya....

Thanks Brooks, Wayne...

Cheers...

5/19/2009 6:48:09 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I dug around one of the garlic plants today and noticed the bulb was almost the size of a Quarter.

5/25/2009 2:11:56 PM