Bogatyr, and Chesnok Red are the 2 that I grow here in Oklahoma. I have 2 raised beds I grow them in. The best time to plant is in October. Garlic needs 6 to 8 weeks of 40* or lower to cloves properly.

Awesome...thanks for the info

Yes, fall planting is by far the best option but you can plant them in the spring. They will not get as big having a shorter growing season. I'm zone 6 in Washington, I'm going to plant some cloves next week after I give the ground a chance to warm up. I'm going to put some black ground cover over the spot I'm going to plant them to help out the rooting.

Bloo: Cool...what kind would you recommend for spring planting? They should still get to somewhat of a good size, as first frost here in Middle TN is probably not going to be until November.

Hi tn,

It's not the date of the first frost that matters, but the length of the day. Garlic forms bulbs when the daylight hours peak, so even if you plant it in the spring it will still complete it's bulb formation in July.

Garlic planted in autumn will establish a root system before winter and get a big jump on cloves planted in the spring, thus extending its growing season and make larger bulbs.

If you plant now, keep it weed free, and give it a boost on nitrogen, you should get usable bulbs in the summer, just smaller.

TomNJ

Tn, Good luck finding anything from any large or small seed bulb growers this time of year..Most everything is sold or has gone bad by now. find something big from a health food store maybe. heck you can even plant some of the China crap from Wal-Mart if ya really want to.

TomNJ, thanks for posting that info, that's good stuff.

Cool...I may wait until Fall then. No big rush, I'm just a major garlic fan. I use it in a lot of my cooking. :) I was at the Depot again today for some Garden Safe pesticide & some plant markers and didn't see any garlic clove related help. I did find an awesome black metal (with straw insert) hanging basket though for $3! I just have to figure out what the heck to put in it now...lol...have tomatoes, peppers, onions, chives & strawberries this year; A few different kinds of most. I'll probably stick a mato plant in it. Thanks all for the advice. Look for me to start a thread in the Fall when I get some garlic! =)

TN Veggie Gardner...

If you have a Whole Foods or a local organic grocer, go purchase a garlic bulb, break it apart, and plant it. I, too, did not plant until yesterday. I went to Whole Foods, did what I said above, and shoved the individual cloves into the raised beds. The only reason why I would say buy organic is because it has not been treated with anything that may prevent it from sprouting (not sure if they do this with garlic cloves). I know I purchased a couple of potatotes from the same store for the same reason (not treated with growth inhibitors).

Maybe you'll get some greens that you can cook with...that is about all I am hoping for this year, but then the cloves will be in the ground and will overwinter...at least I think that's what I'm supposed to do! (still learning here).

Pam
Havertown, PA

Pam,

Wrong answer...the cloves you planted will grow and will mature this year. hopefully you will get a bulb and not just a round.
please go to www. gourmet garlic gardens. com and read up on how to grow garlic

So if one were to plant garlic now (in zone 5), I've read that "cold treating" is good, but what the heck is this? :) and is it necessary?

I think i'm going to hit the local organoc grocer & give it a try.

I know I'm very late to do it, but I want the fun of growing the garlic and learning about it despite a small crop. How deep does the container need to be to make good garlic? TIA!

I grow in fairly big raised beds, but my neighbors have good luck growing in containers that are at over a foot deep. Their garlic does not get as large as mine, but is still darn good. btw, they use my garlic for seed. Think containers large enough for small trees and you will be there.

I planted in the fall - perhaps too early, in Sept - and the leaves never died back. Our winter was exceptionally warm. These look amazing and the stem is FAT.

I planted after 2 weeks of chilling the bulbs in the fridge.

Then I acquired more bulbs...in the winter...these were also chilled for 2 weeks. A few varieties were planted in the ground in December. A few more were planted in the ground in January.

Eight varieties were planted in containers, and started indoors, in February.

The container varieties are nearly as big as the fall planted ones, at the stem just above the soil.

The container varieties have been outside for a month now.

I am newer to this and read a fantastic book. What I read is that if the cloves are not subjected to cool weather, once planted, the clove division and wrapper formation gets messed up, later in the season.

Well shall see!

Steve, I still have seeds of Chesnok Red if you are interested. It has been a few weeks since I've looked at them and they looked fine. If you would send me an e-mail and let me know, then just a self addressed envelope (I will put some padding in to protect the seeds.
I ran out of room last fall in the garden and had started some of these seeds in a pot indoors and they are doing wonderfully!
bluefd40@gmail.com