Thursday, October 25, 2012

How To Grow Garlic

Being half Italian, I put garlic or garlic powder in just about everything I cook. 
Pasta and pizza sauce, chicken and beef stew, steak, grilled chicken, turkey burgers, and guacamole....yum!
 Because I use it every day, I though I'd try growing some. It looks easy enough.


Back in September I ordered some garlic from Burpee along with a dibbler. I love gadgets that makes your job easier, don't you? You could buy some organic garlic from the grocery store, but don't buy non organic garlic is sprayed with something to keep it from sprouting. If you are thinking of growing garlic, you might want to google what grows best in your neck of the woods and when the best time to plant it is. 
For all of you farther North, I think you have to plant garlic in September, but around here it's mid October. I'm about a week late, but we've been having some warm weather and garlic doesn't like heat, so I think I'm ok...we shall see.

Garlic loves well drained soil with lots of compost, so make sure you have good soil.  Here's how the dibbler works...you plunge it into the soil up to the stainless steel part and twist it back and forth a couple of times. This makes a perfect hole for the clove to be planted between 2 and 4 inches. Also , plant them 6 inches apart.

You can use a dibbler to make a perfect hole like this or you can just dig a hole or trench with a trowel.

Separate the cloves and use only the large, good cloves. See how the clove on the far right (all by itself) has a dark soft spot? Don't plant any like that.

 Plant the pointy part of the clove up toward the sky. Most of the points aren't this long.


I planted two rows of 28(2 different kinds of garlic) in the potato bed. My potatoes to the right of the garlic are doing well, as are my snap peas. I've harvested quite a few snap peas ~ they are growing on the trellis in the far bed. There are even 3 or 4 zucchini growing on my last plant. They don't grow quite as fast or large as they do in the summer. 
Buddy always loves to come and help me in the garden. He's such a sweetie.

The carrots are doing well and are starting to form below the ground.

Picked these goodies from our garden just last week. Sugar Snap Peas are my favorite veggie that I grow.


 My purple flowers are in full bloom. Can't remember the name of them. Anyone know what the name of this flower is?

Hope you are enjoying Fall. It was 80 degrees here yesterday. The nights are crisp and cool, but the sun warms up everything so nicely during the day. Would love it if it was like this all the time...But, alas, this is not Southern California...Just for the record, I'm not complaining ; )
How are things in your neck of the woods? Would love to know if you've ever grown garlic and how it turned out.

Pam

12 comments:

  1. Oh yes, we have a bunch of garlic in the garden right now and I love it. We grow some every year. Our temps are about the same, so it is perfect. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Good luck with the garlic! It's almost like planting a bulb, isn't it? You have such a nice garden and I applaud you for all the hard work you do. And you are so lucky to have things growing this time of year!

    The flower sort of looks like Lady Slippers. Not sure as I can't tell how tall it is. It has been getting cooler here in the upper Midwest but we had a little heat wave and it was 78 yesterday. It will be back in the 40's this weekend which is the norm.

    Have a great day, Pam!

    XO,
    Jane

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  3. Hi Pam!
    Your blue flowers look like Monk's Hood to me. Lovely.
    Warm again today, then cooler days ahead.Enjoy your great garden.

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  4. I've wanted to plant garlic for quite a long time! Will it eventually turn into a full bulb with several cloves? Is fall a good time to plant garlic? Thanks for the info, your garden is beautiful! I'm pretty jealous!

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  5. Wow your garden is great! You picked some great stuff! I never thought about growing garlic! What a cool idea to have it in your garden!

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  6. Every time I read one of your gardening posts, I want to go plant a garden!! It snowed here today!!! SNOW!!!! It is only October. It is going to be a long winter!!!!

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  7. Hi Pam-
    I don't know anything about growing garlic. Is it going to grow immediately and you harvest it before winter?
    Whe I saw your flowering plant I immediately thought of Monks Hood- the leaves look correct. The roots are poisonous- but only if ingested.

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  8. Hi Pam, I've never grown garlic but I sure want to try if I can find any around here. I think it may be a little late for me to order the bulbs.

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  9. Pam, I can get organic garlic locally! I'm doing this for sure!!!! Thanks so much! xo

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