Not sure if anyone is interested, but I've been harvesting the garlic, and both the garlic I divided as well as the garlic that I did not divide has given me edible cloves. Many of the cloves are pretty large. So I guess I have one more question: Which of the cloves will keep longest and be best suited to saving for next year's planting? Some of the ones I divided are just large single cloves. Some are bulbs with 2-3 decent size cloves. The ones I did not divide look like regular bulbs, except the cloves have all separated (but are attached all to one set of roots).

lilacs_of_may, i looked at your garlic patch photo from your other post. i don't think increasing the area between your garlic will help with your size issue. you need only about 4-5" of space between your garlic... on all sides. there are many folks here who are more knowledgable than i, but i have been growing my own garlic for about 6 years and have had good results. i would suggest to you that there may be a few smaller issues that, when resolved, would result in a harvest you're happier with. 1) most importantly... amend your soil with plenty of aged compost. you should get that done soon for the fall plantings. 2) plant your garlic where it will get more direct sunshine. from your other posts, it sounds like they are planted in a partly shady area. 3) sometime in early spring,(april-ish) after your garlic shoots are coming out of the ground 6 inches or so, give them a boost of fertilizer. I use fish emulsion diluted in my watering can. 4) cut off the scapes when they start curling. 5) harvest your garlic when there are three or four green leaves left. you will most likely get other opinions, but this is what works for me. best of luck with your 2008 crop. gary

Hi Mark, I bought garlic from a local organic farmer at a farmers market so I was limited in choice to the varieties he had there. He told me he grew 20-25 different varieties (I did go see his farm) but I told him I wanted a good storage variety and from his comments and my research Music seemed to be the one to buy so I pretty much ignored all others. I got some of the other 2 just out of curiosity. The softneck grocery store cloves I planted were huge but the plants did poorly and produced small bulbs about 1-1.25". They did start to change to hardneck, while they did not produce scapes they produced bubils about 3-4" above the ground in the stalk. Also at the top of the bulb there was a central core like a stalk that you'd get in hardnecks, this is why I say they were turning to hardneck, I've read that happens up north with softnecks. Your bulbs are really good sized, I doubt I have any above 3 1/2" tho some may be close. Why do you mention Siberian? There's a lot of varieties so in my 1st real year of growing garlic (I grew it for 2 seasons about 10 years ago at my other house) I did not want to grow 10 different varieties most of which would store just 4-5 months at the most. Hardnecks don't keep as long as softnecks and Music seems to be the longest storage variety from what I read. I want to grow and store enough garlic so that like onions I'm finishing the last garlic as the next years crop is just finishing. So tell me about Siberian. Did you buy it locally or thru a seed company? The local organic farmer was selling his garlic for a mere $4 a pound where seed companies charge from $12 to $20 a pound. If I do drop potatoes, and I'm sure I will in favor of more garlic, I'd try some other hardnecks and just use them 1st before they get too old. Tom

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