Just finished gradin'-n-shuckin' ~ 350 cloves, which will be planted in the next day or two (2), ~ three (3) weeks later than last year.

The skins and stems are in the compost bin. The Gotch

got mine planted about the third week of october.
less than 200 cloves this time, but some always seem to come up
from the previous year. also have a row of rounds from last year bulbils,
and a couple rows of bulbils to grow more rounds or small fully divided bulbs.
i like to have them planted no later than early november on account of weather.
some years the snow comes early, and stays. last year, we had
about six inches one day in october. i thought oh no!!! i'm too late.
it warmed up though, and the snow melted. i mighta planted early
november. i have planted in a snow storm before. not recommended.
i have never peeled the cloves before planting. i always think they need
to keep their jackets on.


keith

I planted 151 cloves at the food pantry garden around the third week of September, then 55 cloves at home a couple of weeks later. I also don't peel the cloves before planting, as this deters various smut diseases. Some of mine has come up better than others, most notably the Krasnodar varieties I planted at home. But spring will tell the tale! Sometimes there's more going on underground than we know.

FTR, I don't peel the cloves either, the skins you's see are just the papery residue.

The Gotch

I have a special compost spot for all the skins from cracking to plant garlic. I didn't add anything else for quite some years, and they didn't really break down, more or less lying there like a mat in the woods. This season I topped them over properly with clippings and dirt. I really don't now if it makes a bit of difference whether they are in the general compost or not. Allium waste might actually be a benefit to curb some less pleasant tomato disease.

Since I planted in October we've had a lot of rain and not really any freezing weather. They got a heavy rain just the day after planting, and this week we had over 4 inches in 4 days.

FINALLY! 367 cloves committed to the soil, and "tucked in" with some dark, rich compost on top of it.

Last big project of the 2024 season; glad to get it in the rear-view...I was having dreams about not getting around to it...now that it's done I can get back to the ones where I wake up nekkid in a classroom...

~Four (4) weeks later than the rolling average and in weather this here Garlic Rancher's neither used to nor fond of; ~38°F/3.33°C, with a damp wind and snow showers.

The Gotch

Planted an unknown amount of garlic today next to my 100 or so onions. Best estimate for the garlic is around 70 cloves. Maybe 30 soft necks and the rest hard neck, Chesnok Red and an unknown farmer’s market type.

While cleaning up I found some bulbils from two years ago that appear to be still sound.
The weather is so mild, I've been doing the kind of garden things that might've waited until spring. So I have another patch cleared where I plan to plant the old bulbils as well - that is, if it ever stops raining.
I don't envy you the 3C planting @Cornelius_Gotchberg . Done that more than once. Brutal.

21°C this afternoon for planting the garlic. Pretty perfect for on your knees garden work.

We got our first snow of the season today! It wasn't much, 2.2" is the official figure, and it's pretty much melted from the roads. Along with the 40mph winds, it was a fun day to work the pantry! I'm glad that computer skills are usually applied INDOORS. The people who take the sheets and run the carts out to the cars have my utmost respect. It was cold in my cubby hole and I was wearing long johns and wool socks! Brrrr

Early snow and later rain yesterday were well-timed to settle things in for the fast-approaching deep freeze.

The Gotch

Cornelius_Gotchberg wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 7:48 am Early snow and later rain yesterday were well-timed to settle things in for the fast-approaching deep freeze.

The Gotch

True that! I need to get my patio door plastic up. No sense trying to heat the outdoors!

The garlic is coming up.

I had good luck with garlic last year, and had the best bulb size ever. This year, I have two small inground areas and four 4X8 raised beds total between my suburban and country gardens. I had to prep ny hand crumbling the soil clumps. I started planting in early November when it was still decently warm, and finished two days ago in brutal cold and wind. Night time temps will be in the single digits this weekend. Each hole got granular organic ferts and cloves got a kelp soak ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to three days. The beds were not amended this year, some were better than others from last years crop. Succession plant garlic and bush beans in raised beds.

I hope soaking was beneficial to get roots growing before the extended freeze moves in. A friendly pup kept me company sitting on top as I finished planting the first bed sniffing and scratching and exploring the organic smell, so I laid down tomato cages folded flat to deter him from climbing up again. When I had finished plantiing out at the various locations, I returned and checked out that first bed for any sign of garlic coming up, but instead found the bed partialy dug up. Those first cloves had already grown about a half inch and I filled some back in.

My city raised bed has some flimsy cold frames which functions as a seedling critter barrier, but I covered them with the plexi sheet in an attempt to stave off the soil from freezing. The cover partially slipped off a few nights ago, and something crawlled or tunneled in and dug up a few cloves, which showed sma
ll root growth already. The soil was also very dry under cover despite a good rain prior to planting.

I'm feeling good about pushing thru the strange weather to plant a good portion of my garlic this year. I needed some motivation after such a hot dry summer. "Grow Big" as Luke (MIgardener) says.

- Lisa

Don't know if you're using the garlic I sent a few years back. If so, you will get a pop but might not be until March on the late Nov plantings. If you are seeing growth just under the soil line these were planted quite shallow. If you cover your frames, hoops or beds with anything that sheds water, it will get too dry, even if you water. Frozen soil is not your enemy, dry soil is.
My big crop is unprotected in the boonies. Finished planting around Oct 30. Checked yesterday and most are showing. Very little critter damage, mainly curious coon and coyote. The worst damage I see is always the occasional cow that gets loose. Deer walk through, buts that's it. Sitting at 10 deg this morning but the plant will continue to grow until mid to late Dec. My home garlic is up, mulched hard with leaves and growing well. Holler if you need more.

It was awesome and yes, I am growing it , in a way. My son's friend wanted to trial hemp with an eye toward weed, he applied for a license, and instead took over the property (well beyond putting up a cheap a plastic type greenhouse). In fact he started redecorating inside the home and intended to move in! It just made me sick going there. I harvested the garlic, kept separated as usual on drying racks in the house as no one lived there, and he threw all the bulbs in a box. That was really the TURNING POINT in getting him out. All my work of several years diminished at his discretion. (Editited to change from discretion to "convenience".

When medical mj was not approved, he moved to CO for an unsuccessful attept on growing his "expert" mj seed. Unfortunatedly my son invested heavily in this venture, and he is still an influence on my son. BYW this person was raided by the FBI , but he found a technicality to not only get off but could have sued the govt for the raid. He got a tip and had everything removed and left a note basically saying haha. It's still a dark cloud hovering in my life and I'm getting too old to put up much resistance.

So I still have you wonderful garden, in a way. It is in good company with the garlic I have been growing for a long time, a good portion from Keene Organics. I would love to once again accept your generousity for a few sample bulbs next year so I can once again isolate it in it's own space.

Gardeners on our forum stick together no matter the time and distance we nurture each other, hard to find these days. Thank you again !

- Lisa

Yes, will send some out next year.

My garlic is all up and growing. Chesnok Red, a couple of other hardnecks and then some softneck garlic.

No fooling I got to get mine in today. It always seems to have to wait until after rifle season, and this year was no exception. Going to be down to 12F in a few nights - has to go in today.

I'm trying to decide which rows had no onions or garlic this season to avoid the leaf miner right out of the soil.

aint no planting in december ever going to happen here. i won't be seeing bare ground
here until some time next year.although i might have gotten away with it last year. we
did not have a white christmas last year. too warm. all the snow that had fallen melted.


keith