Garlic Bulbs Splitting
CathyCA SoCal
4 years ago
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CathyCA SoCal
4 years agostevie
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Can I replant heads of garlic that haven't split?
Comments (10)I live in San Marcos, and I'm just now harvesting my garlic too. I'm no expert, but I'm saving the biggest and prettiest blubs to replant and eating the rest. I think that's the safest way, since those are the ones that were the most healthy plants. The ones that haven't divided into cloves yet will be eaten first, since they supposedly don't keep as well. Those are ones that didn't fully mature, so I doubt they'd be good planting stock. I've got them hanging in the garage to cure right now. I think you're supposed to leave the leaves on until they're done curing and then cut them off. At least, that's what I'm doing, since I've got them tied up by their leaves. Also, I grew several different types of garlic, and they are maturing at different times. The softnecks were ready first, and then the elephant, and my hardnecks are still in the ground, though one variety could probably be dug up any day now. Don't know if that's normal, but I'm glad I didn't dig up ALL my garlic at once....See MoreDoes a lot of rain damage the Garlic bulb?
Comments (4)How much water is too much? I would say when the garlic bed is submerged in standing water during the maturation stage. It is recommended to give your garlic one inch of water per week minimum until two weeks before harvest time - that is a lot of water so it shows a person how much they can take. I dug my garlic out of MUD last year (and it was not much fun to say the least). I used up the last stored bulb a month ago. All that rain and wet during the hardening off period is definitely not a good thing but it is not the end of the world either. Let the garlic mature properly in the garden and harvest at the normal time, then be certain to cure and store it properly. Growing stuff in the great outdoors is always a crapshoot but keep in mind these plants are hardy and have been surviving on their own for many thousands of years - they can take a lot of abuse. I have found garlic to be one of the tastiest, funnest, easiest, trouble-free, maintenance-free, and disease-free veggies I have ever grown. Here in Minnesota we have some of the wildest climate swings, and temperature and precipitation variations on the continent. Every year is different and every year I get a decent garlic crop (of course some years better than others). The only thing that concerns me is hail. Best of luck to you! -Tom...See MoreLooking for Veggie Gardening Mentor
Comments (14)Hello Janel! Here are my thoughts on the veggies and herbs you mentioned: Zucchini ~ Very simple to grow and very productive. I'm just south of Madison and I'm able to direct sow zucchini in the ground about 2 weeks after our last frost. That works out to a late May or early June planting here. They virtually grow themselves. Zucchini plants are bushy and can get to 3' in diameter or larger so they'll need a lot of room. One zucchini plant produced enough squash to feed my family of three easily. Tomatoes ~ I personally think tomatoes are fairly simple to grow as well. I start my tomatoes from seed and then transplant them into the garden. Whether you start them from seed or buy tomato plants, you'll want to transplant them into your garden roughly 2 weeks after your average last frost date. In my neck of the woods, I usually transplant them right around the end of May. I second what Putzer said about planting the tomato plants deeply. I don't remove any leaves before planting...I just bury the plant deep enough to cover up most of the bare stem portion at the bottom. Most tomato plants will need to be staked or caged to keep them off the ground. Which method you choose seems to be mostly a matter of preference. I could go on and on about tomatoes so if you want any more info, just holler. Winter Squash ~ Winter squash has been somewhat of a challenge for me. In my area, squash vine borers are a real problem. They look almost like red wasps but they are actually moths that lay their eggs along squash vines, usually at the base. The eggs hatch and the little hatchlings literally bore into the vines and munch their way through, often killing the plant in the process. Aside from the borers, winter squash is fairly simple to grow. In my area, those mean little moths are only active in early-mid June so I have to directly sow my squash seeds at the end of June. Squash vines grow quickly and they usually get very long. Spaghetti squash is quite prolific in my experience. Broccoli ~ I have no input on this one because it seems that I am broccoli challenged. I cannot for the life of me get it to grow properly. Eggplant ~ I tried eggplant in my first garden. From what I remember, it was very newby gardener friendly. I grew it from a store-bought tranplant and the only thing I ever had to do with it was keep it watered. That's it. The plant basically took care of itself. Eggplant likes hot weather, as do tomatoes and peppers. Lettuce ~ You can't go wrong with lettuce. I generally grow looseleaf lettuce. As soon as the soil can be worked in the early spring (i.e. soil's not frozen or waterlogged from melted snow) scatter the seeds about according the recommended spacing on your seed pack. Barely cover them. They usually sprout very quickly. Lettuce likes cold weather and will get bitter/pungent in hot weather. Jalapenos ~ These buggers are very easy to work with. I start my peppers from seed but nursery transplants will work just as well. Either way, peppers like hot weather so don't transplant them into the garden too soon or it'll retard their growth. I plant mine out in early-mid June. Basically, I try to plant them out when I know daytime temps are around 70 degrees on average and nighttime temps are no less than 50 degrees. They like full sun. Garlic ~ As SandiBluffs said, Garlic is planted in the fall. I have found that garlic works great for deterring hungry bunnies and squirels in my yard. My garden bed is square, so I literally plant a garlic border around the outside to keep the pests away from my food. (Thankfully we love garlic!) Basically you take a garlic bulb, split it up into cloves and plant the individual cloves about two to four inches deep. I think you're supposed to plant it 4 to 6 weeks before your ground freezes. I aim for September. Also, I've read that you're not supposed to separate the bulb into individual cloves until the day you plant them. After planting the cloves, don't let them get too dry. Garlic likes moist (not waterlogged) soil. I don't have any input on the other items. I've never had any luck growing strawberries however I think that's because I'm doing something wrong...not because they're terribly difficult. I have a devil of a time getting oregano seeds to sprout so I've only managed to grow it one year out of three so far. It was simple once I got the seeds going though. I've never tried raspberries, parsley or spearmint. I'm planning on growing parsley this year though so I guess we'll learn about that one together. Good luck and happy planning!...See MoreWANTED:Schubertii allium bulbs. Have elephant garlic bulbs/zinnia seed
Comments (0)Would like 4 - 5 in exchange for 4 - 5 of my elephant garlic bulbs. Or, larger quantities of zinnia, hot pink celosia, white Echinacea seeds....See MoreCathyCA SoCal
4 years agoibarok
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