Garlic question

[QChickieMama]

My garlic plants aren't behaving like last year's garlic at all, so I'm stumped and asking questions here.

The plants just turned brown and died, or nearly all of them did. Some had a bit of green in the stalk. So, today I harvested all the garlic. Was planning to wait until fall to do that.

The soil was too wet and didn't drain well. I'm guessing that's why the plants died.

Anyway, I harvested a bunch of garlic! I piled them all on a picnic table in the shade to dry. Here's my question: they aren't all dry and papery like they're supposed to be. Some of the cloves are separated, some are soft, some are partly peeled. How do I store the garlic now? Should I hang it up in the attic? Since they aren't protected by the papery skins, should I peel all the cloves and freeze them? Can you freeze garlic? Maybe peeled and chopped? How long should I let it dry outdoors?

And, after I dig a drainage area for that part of the garden, should I go ahead and replant for next season or wait until the fall?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I don't have good luck with garlic, but I'll offer an idea regarding storage. How about peeling the cloves and storing them in olive oil? Not sure how long they would last that way...

 

[Life is Good!]

You are right, the site was too wet for those garlic bulbs! You could try re-planting them into a higher/drier spot if they've not completely dried out. If the roots are dry, it's too late.

We purchase diced garlic in water at the grocery store - just put in a large ball jar, and refrigerate it. No preservatives are in it, so it should be good for a long while! We use 1 large jar in 3mo or so, so it lasts at least that long!

 

[QChickieMama]

You are right, the site was too wet for those garlic bulbs! You could try re-planting them into a higher/drier spot if they've not completely dried out. If the roots are dry, it's too late.

We purchase diced garlic in water at the grocery store - just put in a large ball jar, and refrigerate it. No preservatives are in it, so it should be good for a long while! We use 1 large jar in 3mo or so, so it lasts at least that long!

I can try storing it in water in the fridge! My one concern is did the grocery garlic get heat processed at all? Might be hard to tell if that's the case.

I have pureed some with a bit of olive oil and frozen in small packages, and I have a quart jar of garlic cloves sitting in vinegar & salt in the fridge. Will see how they each last and taste.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Ms Ellen]

I don't know where you live but this is the normal time of year for harvesting garlic here. Wait until about 70 percent of the leaves have died back and dig. Let it dry before cleaning and removing leaves and outer dirt. They do not like wet this time of year, they really should be dryer. Plant garlic in the fall. Save your largest cloves to replant. Over time the garlic will adapt to your conditions if you replant year after year.

 

[QChickieMama]

I don't know where you live but this is the normal time of year for harvesting garlic here. Wait until about 70 percent of the leaves have died back and dig. Let it dry before cleaning and removing leaves and outer dirt. They do not like wet this time of year, they really should be dryer. Plant garlic in the fall. Save your largest cloves to replant. Over time the garlic will adapt to your conditions if you replant year after year.

We're in NC, so since you're in VA, I'm hopeful that all is normal. I thought last year's crop seemed to thrive until first frost.

I'm sure glad we got it out when we did--our area got 7.5" rain the other day, in one day. Crazy.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[DaveOmak]

Plant your garlic in a raised bed in October and harvest in July... Mulch with leaves or straw...

.....After harvest...


.. 6-1-13... about 6 weeks from harvest.... raised beds and mulched for the winter.... zone 5b ....
... can you tell weeding is hard on the back.... lots of fertilizer so the garlic grows through the weeds.....

 

[QChickieMama]

Thanks! That's super helpful. We're in zone 7, but it might be similar timing.

 

[lazy gardener]

4 - 6" of mulch will make the weeds a non issue.

BTW Dave, your garlic is beautiful. Is it a stiff or soft neck?

My garlic growing methods are not conventional. I allow a lot of the scapes to mature. They form little bulbils that then fall to the ground and start new bulbs. It will take 2 years to get a mature head out of a bulbil. But, it's a freebie. So, garlic can be considered a useful weed in a lot of my garden, though I do try to keep it confined to certain areas. I harvest a lot of it after the tops have died down, but leave the most of it to winter over. It will form a massive clump of co-joined bulbs, some 8" across. Mine is a soft neck that I got from a friend a few years ago. Sadly, his entire crop died after that due to some fungus. Mine is still going strong.

 

[DaveOmak]

4 - 6" of mulch will make the weeds a non issue.

BTW Dave, your garlic is beautiful. Is it a stiff or soft neck?

Thanks for the compliment... I'm getting better at growing it..... I grow hardneck varieties... I have 6 varieties now and Elephant.... I just picked up 3 new varieties... I love the different flavors and heat levels.... In Maine, you can grow great hardneck garlics.... It loves and needs the freezing weather.... Our ground has been frozen since November....
About the fungus.... I move my garlic every year to keep that from occurring.. I do a 3 year rotation on the ground....Been lucky so far... no disease problems....
I plant the cloves in Oct.... that frees up my garden to move stuff and add manure every winter.... Only problem with using cloves, some varieties take up to 1/2 of my crop to replant.... Zemo only has 4 cloves to a bulb... HUGE cloves though... Oh well.... stuff happens.....
My "neighbors" grow garlic and I buy varieties from them.... I have learned a lot from them.... The guy that started the garlic farm, Ron Engeland, is a friend of mine.... check out Filaree Farm ... Cool place....

Dave