I purchased garlic from you last year, planted 60 or so cloves. Took the biggest heads this year and just planted about 115 cloves this past week. I couldn't believe how large some of the cloves were. I have 30 of the smaller heads hanging for use this winter. I'm hoping I can more than double my planting next year and start putting them around the garden more. Oh, and I separate them the exact same way you do. :)
Such great news! For what its worth I started with I think 15 heads of garlic in 2008 and have been growing it out since then, selecting the largest, cleanest and moving them to new places every year as possible. 3 years ago we hit 7000 or 8000 heads, and have since pulled back on numbers, but it's amazing how much you can expand your planting!
How does size compare with flavor? I've noticed that by going bigger, I loose the awesome flavor of some variety. Speaking of- what varieties do you grow?
This super lovely hardneck and a nice purple skinned softneck. The flavor is not reduced with these huge cloves. The garlic is pungent, balanced and super fine. The Elephant Garlic types are really lean in flavor I've found, but this is just huge due to very healthy growing conditions I think.
Cool, my hard-neck variety of choice is Music, it grows well in The Pacific Northwest. Is your hard-neck a Porcelain? I'm trying to work towards having fewer but larger cloves. The Porcelain seems to be the one for that focus. I've never been a big fan of the soft neck varieties, as those small center cloves are always such a frustrating thing to process. Any shortcuts there? Thanks as always for your responses and reflections. I learn so much from your videos.
Two questions: What is your plan for the very large cloves you are setting aside? How do you select which heads to use for seed? Just size or are there other criteria you use?
We plant the largest in their own bed to hopefully get super large heads next year. We look over the heads for blemishes/issues and set those aside to eat, and then ideally plant the largest cloves we've got.
Very reasonable question. The goal is to plant ASAP, though if it takes a few days between breaking out and planting I personally don't think it's a huge deal, but the ideal is ASAP...
Nice looking garlic. You don't say what variety you have although maybe it's stated in another vid? I'm going to try starting bulbils for the first time in a few days for zone 6b. Have you done that ye and if so, any advice or last minute tips? I'm growing giant white Russian and build upon those. Their a little bit milder but we like the size and taste thus far. Thanks bud.
I don't say the name because I never got a name when I started growing these 10 years ago! Music maybe? It is just a very solid producer we've enjoyed for many years... I've grown garlic from bulbils before, it works just fine... Takes a little longer but certainly can give you a WHOLE lot more plant material to work with!
Thanks......that is my goal to get a WHOLE lotta return and I know going into it with bulbils that I will have to be patient. I expect 3 yrs. to reach sufficient size. Yours looks great AND healthy.
Is all your garlic one kind, or do you have several varieties...hardneck, softneck, etc.? I have about 6 varieties that I plant. Two of them are better keepers than the others. Do you ever pickle your garlic to extend it's life?
We have a nice hardneck featured in this video that I don't recall the original name. We also have a purple skinned softneck that is lovely! Sasha has done some preserving and pickling in the past, she'll probably do that again this fall.
Have you had any problems with bloat nematodes? My garlic is showing more symptoms of infection every year, and was wondering if you have and advice on controlling them organically. I rotate on a 4 year basis and select only the best for planting stock. The only option I've found is hot water treatment, which is only somewhat effective and can encourage other garlic disease.
Luckily we haven't seen that issue... (yet?) . So I'm not sure how to advise on ways to deal with it. Sounds scary, I wish you luck in figuring out how to manage it...
Harvest happens late July... Planting happens in late October. We store whats not planted in a room in the house for enjoyment over winter and into spring.
Nice :) Do you think it is necessary to buy expensive seed garlic from seed companies, or is it OK to just buy organic garlic from the grocery store? Thank you. Looking forward to your video about companion planting garlic! Great idea!
Thank you. Good suggestion. The garlic at our grocery store is large in the early autumn. I have heard folks say that the reason for buying special seed garlic is because garlic from the grocery may harbor dieases. I wonder if that is a serious concern, or an empty sales pitch from garlic seed sellers. I do like this idea of preparing seed and sorting into different sizes. In the past I would often be out planting in the rain and going slowly with garlic hard to separate with wet hands and planting large with small. This is better thought out.
it's a serious concern from any seed supplier. Just become familiar with the symptoms of diseases if you're going to grow. If you want strains specifically resistant to certain diseases then yes, you'll need a seed company, however food from the grocery store is often sufficiently resistant to many diseases in order to make it marketable, so jusbuy some garlic and try it out :) as you go along you'll see what kind of growing conditions and types of garlic you want
I would think if you can find a good local organic grower that has nice looking garlic you can get all the 'seed' you need from them. Should work just fine. Our seed garlic is simply garlic we've grown that looks large, clean and healthy.
I have done organic garlic from the store, garlic from our local Amish stands, from a guy who lives near by and grows a lot of garlic and sells his extra, and I got garlic last year from Edible Acres. The stuff I got last year has to be the best I have grown to date and I'm hoping I can continue to save cloves from here on out.
I purchased garlic from you last year, planted 60 or so cloves. Took the biggest heads this year and just planted about 115 cloves this past week. I couldn't believe how large some of the cloves were. I have 30 of the smaller heads hanging for use this winter. I'm hoping I can more than double my planting next year and start putting them around the garden more. Oh, and I separate them the exact same way you do. :)
Such great news! For what its worth I started with I think 15 heads of garlic in 2008 and have been growing it out since then, selecting the largest, cleanest and moving them to new places every year as possible. 3 years ago we hit 7000 or 8000 heads, and have since pulled back on numbers, but it's amazing how much you can expand your planting!
One of your better videos. Short, sweet and to the point but it also has some amazing looking garlic
those cloves are huge! You two should check out the Newark Valley Apple Festival at Belmont Billings next year. It’s held at the beginning of October.
Wow! That is a lot of garlic! We planted our first time a few weeks ago and we are excited to see result next year
All the best to you and your crop...
@@edibleacres thank you, I will let you know end result 😀😉
That's some beautiful garlic! Good reminder to get a move on on planting!
I don't think it's a rush, just good to start getting organized and ready.
How does size compare with flavor? I've noticed that by going bigger, I loose the awesome flavor of some variety. Speaking of- what varieties do you grow?
This super lovely hardneck and a nice purple skinned softneck. The flavor is not reduced with these huge cloves. The garlic is pungent, balanced and super fine. The Elephant Garlic types are really lean in flavor I've found, but this is just huge due to very healthy growing conditions I think.
Cool, my hard-neck variety of choice is Music, it grows well in The Pacific Northwest. Is your hard-neck a Porcelain? I'm trying to work towards having fewer but larger cloves. The Porcelain seems to be the one for that focus. I've never been a big fan of the soft neck varieties, as those small center cloves are always such a frustrating thing to process. Any shortcuts there? Thanks as always for your responses and reflections. I learn so much from your videos.
Two questions:
What is your plan for the very large cloves you are setting aside?
How do you select which heads to use for seed? Just size or are there other criteria you use?
We plant the largest in their own bed to hopefully get super large heads next year.
We look over the heads for blemishes/issues and set those aside to eat, and then ideally plant the largest cloves we've got.
How soon after separating the garlic do you plant them? I've always kept them together until the day I plant but not sure that is necessary.
Very reasonable question. The goal is to plant ASAP, though if it takes a few days between breaking out and planting I personally don't think it's a huge deal, but the ideal is ASAP...
Nice looking garlic. You don't say what variety you have although maybe it's stated in another vid? I'm going to try starting bulbils for the first time in a few days for zone 6b. Have you done that ye and if so, any advice or last minute tips? I'm growing giant white Russian and build upon those. Their a little bit milder but we like the size and taste thus far. Thanks bud.
I don't say the name because I never got a name when I started growing these 10 years ago! Music maybe? It is just a very solid producer we've enjoyed for many years...
I've grown garlic from bulbils before, it works just fine... Takes a little longer but certainly can give you a WHOLE lot more plant material to work with!
Thanks......that is my goal to get a WHOLE lotta return and I know going into it with bulbils that I will have to be patient. I expect 3 yrs. to reach sufficient size. Yours looks great AND healthy.
Is all your garlic one kind, or do you have several varieties...hardneck, softneck, etc.? I have about 6 varieties that I plant. Two of them are better keepers than the others. Do you ever pickle your garlic to extend it's life?
We have a nice hardneck featured in this video that I don't recall the original name. We also have a purple skinned softneck that is lovely!
Sasha has done some preserving and pickling in the past, she'll probably do that again this fall.
Have you had any problems with bloat nematodes? My garlic is showing more symptoms of infection every year, and was wondering if you have and advice on controlling them organically. I rotate on a 4 year basis and select only the best for planting stock. The only option I've found is hot water treatment, which is only somewhat effective and can encourage other garlic disease.
Luckily we haven't seen that issue... (yet?) . So I'm not sure how to advise on ways to deal with it. Sounds scary, I wish you luck in figuring out how to manage it...
How do you keep your garlic from one year til the next. or is it just a few months between harvest and planting?
Harvest happens late July... Planting happens in late October. We store whats not planted in a room in the house for enjoyment over winter and into spring.
Nice :) Do you think it is necessary to buy expensive seed garlic from seed companies, or is it OK to just buy organic garlic from the grocery store? Thank you. Looking forward to your video about companion planting garlic! Great idea!
If you have a farmers market nearby that's where I'd go. grocery store garlic tends to be more on the smaller side but they will certainly grow.
Thank you. Good suggestion. The garlic at our grocery store is large in the early autumn. I have heard folks say that the reason for buying special seed garlic is because garlic from the grocery may harbor dieases. I wonder if that is a serious concern, or an empty sales pitch from garlic seed sellers. I do like this idea of preparing seed and sorting into different sizes. In the past I would often be out planting in the rain and going slowly with garlic hard to separate with wet hands and planting large with small. This is better thought out.
it's a serious concern from any seed supplier. Just become familiar with the symptoms of diseases if you're going to grow. If you want strains specifically resistant to certain diseases then yes, you'll need a seed company, however food from the grocery store is often sufficiently resistant to many diseases in order to make it marketable, so jusbuy some garlic and try it out :) as you go along you'll see what kind of growing conditions and types of garlic you want
I would think if you can find a good local organic grower that has nice looking garlic you can get all the 'seed' you need from them. Should work just fine. Our seed garlic is simply garlic we've grown that looks large, clean and healthy.
I have done organic garlic from the store, garlic from our local Amish stands, from a guy who lives near by and grows a lot of garlic and sells his extra, and I got garlic last year from Edible Acres. The stuff I got last year has to be the best I have grown to date and I'm hoping I can continue to save cloves from here on out.
How do you sell all that garlic?
Some we sell through our website, some locally. Most we just plant and have lots of garlic to share and trade!