Your comments and tips

15 Nov 23, Ric (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Kelvan, I haven't had the sprouting problem but after 30 years of growing garlic I have just harvested the worst crop I have ever had, but having talked to fellow growers, they also have experienced lesser quality garlic and some premature sprouting as well. It is worth noting that we have experienced colder temperatures this springtime and below 15 degrees celsius soil temperature whilst bulbing will induce early sprouting. On numerous occasions I have placed garlic in the refrigerator in February to bring on earlier sprouting. I usually plant over 500 cloves each year and some years over 5000 and give the garlic away to people who can't afford the ridiculous retail prices. Of course also to replace the weak quality, low pungency Chinese garlic. I am a great believer in planetry positioning within the universe, it has a large effect on weather and all forms of life and will certainly effect all growth and evolutionary factors. Perhaps next year will be a better one or we might have to plant later as it appears the planet is cooling.

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22 Oct 23, Catherine Morritt (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)

Is it recommended to separate the cloves from the bulbs right before plating or to do it a day or two before?

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13 Nov 23, Christian (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)

Just remember to only select the largest cloves and eat all the small ones for yourself. The cloves determine the size of the harvested garlic. If you select only the largest cloves then as the garlic grows and the protective outer cloves develop around the centrally planted seed, they will develop to a size that matches the original clove you plant. Small clove = small yield. Large cloves = much larger yield. Being selective about saving only the very best and largest seeds for many different types of plants is going to serve you well. I think my kids are always slightly disappointed that we always have to 'eat the mistakes' while the very best of what we grow is saved as seed for an even better harvest next year. I guess it is the same principle as animal husbandry.

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28 Oct 23, (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)

Either way.

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14 Oct 23, Linda (USA - Zone 9a climate)

I put in my zone and asked about garlic and this response was below the grid: "Not recommended for growing in USA - Zone 9a regions". Now I know that there is a lot of garlic grown in the USA, so don't know why it said that, in fact I used to live near Gilroy. Other web pages say to plant mid Oct. to Dec. Makes me wonder about the advice on this website. Am I reading it wrong?

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03 Aug 24, Faithn (USA - Zone 9a climate)

I 've planted garlic in zone 9a several years & they do great. Softneck & some hard necks are fine to plant in fall for Spring harvest. I recently used Keen organics to buy garlic to plant. There are several good distributors on the net. Keen has great advice. Read it. You can grow garlic successfully.

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29 Oct 23, Christina (USA - Zone 9b climate)

I’m in 9b, central California and I have grown garlic for a few years. I “plant on the shortest day of the year, harvest on the longest day.” It has worked. Originally I just started with some organic grocery store garlic clusters, but now I save them from one year for the next.

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23 Sep 23, Sonya (USA - Zone 5b climate)

I would like to choose 2 types of softneck garlic. Any suggestions on which two to choose? I also heard about elephant garlic. If it will grow in 5B... I may just grow that type. ?????? Undecided!

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29 Oct 23, Kevin K. (USA - Zone 5b climate)

Sonya, unfortunately soft neck garlic will not survive the winter in our hardiness zone. That means we get to grow hard neck garlic such as purple garlic or porcelain (music) garlic bulbs. Fortunately we still have time if we hurry.

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22 Sep 23, Nora Jencks (USA - Zone 10a climate)

Is there any soft neck garlic varieties that I can grow in my zone (10a)

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