okay, normally i research rather than ask but i want personal experience opinions, i can't get that from a book. as usual this is a long winded thread (just look at the name of the thread!) but i'd appreciate some details from people with experience. no offense but when people in the deep south ask about growing different vegetables that i know how to grow, i don't reply. it's got to be really different conditions and i'd assume the same applies to garlic. you may not be in ct but i know some of you are in northern latitudes and some much colder winters than me. seems to me most cold winter people have good advice for my climate.
i grew garlic only 2 seasons here in ct (i'm in zone 5b last frost date memorial day 1st frost date around october 1) about 10 years ago. i knew when to plant but i did use a store bought softneck, probably silverskin is it? anyway, the 1st year i planted on columbus day weekend and harvested around early to mid july. the results were good but i grew only 10 or 12 plants if even that many. the 2nd year same thing, more cloves were planted but a wet spring in conjunction with grass or leaf mulch caused the soil to stay damp. many plants got moldy or rotted. after that bad experience, i felt garlic was cheap in the store and my garden was only 1/2 the size it is now. i couldn't afford the space for such a small return so i gave up growing garlic. my emphasis is on fresh eating (1/3) and storage (2/3) of my garden space.
i have been reassessing what vegetables i grow and especially how much of each - i have 6 nice rutabagas that i just don't want to use! i like them i'm just too lazy to use them! the garlic in all the grocery stores around here has been just pathetic for many months. i am wondering if i can grow enough and more importantly store it long enough so i am not at the mercy of this california crap with it's bad spots, sprouting cloves, dried out cloves and bland taste! i am willing to grow less of other things to get enough garlic but i eat a lot, a real lot, of garlic. i think i'd need 75 bulbs so perhaps space is an issue.
so here are my specs and desires.
(1) are the hardneck varieties the correct type for me to grow? should i avoid the softnecks? won't a softneck grown here turn into a hardneck if i save seed season after season?
(2) hardnecks have a short storage time, is that correct? seems i have read that the softnecks store the longest. since i want to store garlic as long as possible, is 6 months the max from any variety hard or soft? for example, i know about onions and there are some varieties, like copra, that i can store for up to 12 months. i like hot garlic and i'd think, like with onions, the hotter the garlic the longer the storage due to the sulfur compounds? is that true?
(3) what varieties would grow well in ct and have the maximum storage time? should i grow multiple varieties of both hard and softneck? for example, i grow ailsa craig exhibition for a sweet onion they keep to 2/1, redwing for a medium storage red onion they'll keep to march or april and for the longest storage i grow copra.
(4) i know that growing your garlic from your own seed acclimates the garlic to your area and is the cheap way to go because garlic is expensive to buy from seed companies! since i'd harvest in early to mid july (if i remember correctly) then plant the cloves around the 2nd weekend in october that seed would only need to be stored for 3 months. are my comments correct?
(5) i do remember that for a short time the grocery stores here sell a hardneck garlic. the bulbs are smallish, just 6 or 8 cloves, the wrapper shows a bit of red but is mostly whitish, but they have a distinctly reddish wrapper on each of the cloves and it is rather hot with sweetish crisp taste. i assume this is not from california and is locally produced since it is a hardneck with cloves that peel easy vs that california crap plus it is only in the stores for say 4-6 weeks. any idea the variety from that description? i like it, so if i bought pounds of it (typically a bargain at just $2.99 a pound vs buying it via a seed company) would it store until october? if yes in fridge or in a cool dry place?
(6) now for the big issue. how much space do i need, ie what is the spacing between cloves for me to harvest 75 bulbs? using onions again, i grow three 4' X 4' beds in a straight line butted up against each other so i use just 48 square feet of garden and get 3 varieties of onions that will last me until the following august harvest. i have not bought onions in years! can i pull this off with garlic by planting a 4' wide strip for X feet in length to save space (no rows) and to at least minimumize having to buy it?
(7) i remember reading that you should not store garlic in the fridge but then i read here people say to store garlic between 32-40 degrees. do i store garlic under the same conditions as onions? copra and redwing are in the garage around freezing while alisa craig are in the fridge at 43 degrees.
i really would like to grow that hardneck that is in the grocery stores for a few short weeks. it is great tasting, peels easy and tastes great compared to the cardboard junk they usually sell. if you think i should start with a specific variety and save seed i'll go that route. my point is to be able to store enough to minimumize buying it.
thanks for your feedback.
tom
rxkeith
pastvast
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