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Post by meandtk on Sept 28, 2019 11:07:16 GMT -5
A week or so ago, when I picked up produce for my compost pile, I set aside 1lb of garlic. I am thinking of planting it. Would you recommend that or not?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 28, 2019 12:33:58 GMT -5
I wouldn't plant it, but then, most garlic I see in a store is softneck, which I don't like. However, even if I wee to find hardneck, I wouldn't know what kind it is, and some I've tried simply haven't grown well here. And if that is a hardneck you have there, some hardnecks need a deep freeze, to trigger the bulbing. I learned this the hard way, when I tried growing certain varieties during one very mild winter I had! If you do decide to grow it be sure to use a trick I learned from paquebot - soaking the cloves in some vodka or isopropyl alcohol, to kill possible pathogens. It doesn't take long - just a few hours. I put the cloves in the soak as I separate them, then by the time I get to the last batch, get the row ready to plant. By the time I'm ready, the first batch has been in 2 or 3 hours, and it's ready to go.
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Post by brownrexx on Sept 28, 2019 13:42:46 GMT -5
If you have the extra space I would plant it as long as you are not depending on it for a crop. It might be fun to see what you get but I would definitely disinfect it as pepperhead212 suggested.
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Post by paquebot on Sept 28, 2019 21:29:41 GMT -5
Whatever you plant is what you will get back. I;s not like a seed crop where parentage is unknown. Most supermarket garlic is softneck which is what cooks want if they have a small garlic press. Recently I have seen some hardnecks but the same small cloves, probably porcelain type.
There are Spice World displays in WalMarts. Their bulbs are barely 2". That's a good one to grow and can be planted 6" apart. Not as hot as some others but will supply you with garlic.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Oct 16, 2019 11:37:20 GMT -5
For southern MS, softnecks are a better choice to grow than hardnecks. Even if you vernalize hardnecks before planting, hardnecks don't do well with the mild Gulf Coast winters and rapid onset of heat in the spring. meandtk, was this garlic that the store was throwing away? Were they throwing it away just because it was sprouting, or was there something else wrong with it? If it's molding at all, I wouldn't attempt to plant it. If it is merely starting to sprout, you can plant it. Definitely disinfect it as was suggested. Like paquebot said, what you see is what you get with garlic. So if there is nothing wrong with the garlic other than a little sprouting, I suggest that you taste it. See if you like the flavor, and see how the clove size suits you. If you like it and the cloves aren't too small for you, then you should plant it. Bear in mind that you will probably get bulbs and cloves that are no bigger than what you plant. They may very well turn out to be smaller depending on how the garlic likes your growing conditions. When planting, plant the biggest cloves out of the biggest bulbs. These are more likely to produce big bulbs. Runty cloves will make small bulbs, or only produce rounds.
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Post by tomike on Oct 16, 2019 15:17:24 GMT -5
Many years ago, I wanted to grow garlic and had never done before. In the Fall of the year, I would go to the grocery store and try to find some garlic that was sprouting and would buy those for growing. On one occasion, I was told that my wife would not be happy when I got home with those.
It grew well enough and produced edible but relatively small bulbs. Much better results with Music or others.....
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Post by paquebot on Oct 16, 2019 17:03:49 GMT -5
I've mentioned one thing many times about store garlic but bears repeating. Always look at the base of the bulb. There should be a trace of the root system. With zero tolerance regulations about soil, bulbs may be trimmed too close and cut the entire base off. Cloves will sprout without a base but never make roots.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Oct 17, 2019 12:58:08 GMT -5
Good point about the bases, paquebot . Jason should definitely look at the bases. tomike , I have heard many wonderful things about Music garlic - I'd love to taste it sometime! But it is not well suited to the Gulf Coast climate. I would not try to grow Music (or most hardnecks) along the immediate Gulf Coast unless I could get seed stock early enough for a 10-12 week vernalization before planting. Even then, if there is an early, hot spring even a well-vernalized hardneck may perform poorly. By poorly I mean most or all of the plants never bulb. Softnecks tend to cope better with early, hot springs. Softnecks, artichokes, some turbans, and creoles can get by with a shorter 6-8 week vernalization, or for certain varieties, no vernalization at all. However, for growers right on the Gulf Coast, I recommend vernalizing. If the winter is really warm, even varieties that usually bulb without vernalization can fail. And there is no way to know in advance whether winter will be warm. If meandtk is serious about planting garlic this fall, the grocery store garlic might be his best option. Unless he can get seed garlic delivered in just a few days, it is probably too late for him to get it and vernalize it before planting. It's only 7 weeks from now to the end of the best planting window. (I got noticeably smaller bulbs when I planted later than early December.) Growing garlic in the south: greyduckgarlic.com/Southern_Garlic_Grower_Guide.html
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Post by meandtk on Oct 18, 2019 8:59:12 GMT -5
Thanks, y’all. It’s little baggies of garlic that are sprouting. I’ll see what it does.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Oct 21, 2019 14:07:41 GMT -5
meandtk , if the garlic is really sprouting - actual leaves visibly emerging, not just a green color on the clove tips - I think your best bet is to plant it ASAP. For already-sprouted garlic, trying to vernalize it will probably do more harm than good. There is a strong likelihood that the emerging leaves will wither and die in the fridge because of the darkness. Then after planting, the cloves will have to produce another set of leaves. Since the cloves already wasted a lot of energy sending out the first set of leaves, you'll have smaller, weaker plants. And reading that you got already-sprouted garlic jogged my memory about something. Grocery store garlic may actually have been stored under refrigeration at some point since harvesting. See: www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/curing-and-storing-the-garlic.html - the money quote from this page is here: _______________________ Hopefully the weather has finally turned and you won't have any more hot weather. So the garlic should be okay if planted now, as long as you water the plants during any dry spells. Just remember, garlic does NOT tolerate wet feet. I know you have clay soil and some spots that flood. If you haven't already planted the garlic, I recommend planting it in one of the higher and drier parts of your garden, mulch well, and water if needed. Good luck!
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2019 10:58:25 GMT -5
I normally plant grocery store elephant garlic, as it is MUCH cheaper in cost than ordering it, and never yet had a problem with it, ditto with any sprouting regular garlic cloves. Though my garlic rarely gets to stick around that long.
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