swampr
Global Moderator
Posts: 230
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Garlic
Feb 6, 2010 6:59:18 GMT -5
Post by swampr on Feb 6, 2010 6:59:18 GMT -5
This year I have decided to grow mostly porcelain garlic. My preference is for large cloves that store well. Varieties that make fewer cloves per bulb and larger bulbs interest me. Last year I was very impressed with the growth of georgian crystal. The year before it was northern white that got my eye. I have a 50 ft bed 4 feet wide and have planted eight inches apart, but about 25% of the bed is spaced four inches apart. This will give me lots of garlic scallions to pull early in the season. At eight inch spacing that means 6 across the bed or 11 across at 4” spacing. I mulched this year with chopped straw.
This year I plan to rate the porcelains for flavor, storage, and flavor after storage. It was a very wet season last year which aided growth but made curing difficult. Riesig appears to be a very hot-flavored porcelain variety, hotter than temptress, which is renowned to be a hot one.
My 2010 crop:
PORCELAIN georgian crystal, charlies 60 northern white, ireland farm 156 zemo, turtle creek trading 60 riesig, gillie farm 24 bavarian purple, ireland farm 24
MARBLED PURPLE STRIPE pskem, fraser 77
ROCAMBOLE killarney red, 18
My 2009 crop:
PORCELAIN georgian crystal, charlies northern white, ireland farm german white, mele farm riesig, porcelain, gillie farm
PURPLE STRIPE persian star, ireland farm
MARBLED PURPLE STRIPE pskem, fraser
GLAZED PURPLE STRIPE brown tempest, charlies red rezan, charlies purple glazer, Fox Hollow
ROCAMBOLE temptress, summit naturals german red, ireland farm italian red, Fox Hollow Russian red, amherst market
ASIATIC korean red, fraser
In previous years I grew the following varieties of garlic. Much of my stock was from filaree or local growers:
PORCELAIN northern white, german white, leningrad polish
PURPLE STRIPE chesnok red
MARBLED PURPLE STRIPE metechi bogatyr
GLAZED PURPLE STRIPE brown tempest, purple glazer
ROCAMBOLE aces
ASIATIC tai cang
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Garlic
Feb 9, 2010 19:18:18 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 9, 2010 19:18:18 GMT -5
www.durgan.org/URL/?RZUHC 8 October 2009 Planting Garlic (Allium sativum, Hard neck) Planted using 2009 best and largest cloves. Seventy five cloves were planted for the main harvest. Forty five bulblets from another garden, and fifteen one year old cloves, which grew from bulblets last year in another garden, were planted as an experiment to see how large the bulbs will get. Spacing is 6 inch centers, and depth is about three inches for the base of the clove. The bed was prepared on the 10 of September and covered with wood chips to diffuse rain water and to reduce moisture evaporation. After planting the wood chips were raked over the bed to limit frost heaving of the soil during the freeze and thaw cycles during the winter. The mulch will be moved away from the emerging shoots in the early spring.
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Garlic
Feb 11, 2010 8:40:36 GMT -5
Post by timothyt on Feb 11, 2010 8:40:36 GMT -5
I expanded the varieties this year in the ongoing quest to find out what grows well in my neck of the woods. I grow in raised beds with staggered spacing blocks of 6"- 8".
Last Season: Softnecks - Inchellium Red (wegrowgarlic) Simonetti(wgg) California Early White(BeagleRun Herb Farm) Hardnecks - German Porcelian (Jungs) Purple Glazer(Jungs)
For this year I planted: All from last year's stock except California plus: Softnecks - Italian Loiacono(wgg) Kettle River Giant(wgg) Red Janice(wgg) Red Toch(wgg) Silver Rose (wgg) Hardnecks - Khabar (wgg)
I am hoping to eventually settle on 3-4 varieties each of hard and soft then trial 1 each new every year. But shucks, I'm finding growing garlic is just like tomatoes and peppers ---there are so many "gotta haves" out there! ;D
T
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jcm05
Administrator
Posts: 1,685
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Garlic
Feb 11, 2010 11:46:15 GMT -5
Post by jcm05 on Feb 11, 2010 11:46:15 GMT -5
Music (Porcelain) Northern White(Porcelain) Zemo(Porcelain) Riesig(Porcelain)
These are the ones I'm growing this season. Many thanks to Swampr for sharing some with me.
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Garlic
Feb 11, 2010 12:42:37 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 11, 2010 12:42:37 GMT -5
May I suggest there are only two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck. There is a slight variation in color amongst them, but they are variations of one of the types. Ideally garlic should be pure white with large cloves.
I grow the same hard neck year after year from my own cloves. It is white, large and could be described as almost perfect. I carefully cure it in the Fall and even now have about 25 perfect bulbs in my cold room. Only the largest cloves are planted for seed. Apparently hardneck stores better, but I have no experience with the softneck. I do utilize the scapes from my hardneck garlic.
All garlic tastes the same. The names are getting out of hand, similar to the 5000 tomato types.
The so called elephant garlic is not even garlic, and has a very weak flavor, but is easy to handle. My view about garlic.
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Garlic
Feb 12, 2010 13:40:30 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 12, 2010 13:40:30 GMT -5
Curing garlic. Here is my method. I still have about 25 bulbs for eating in my cold room and it is perfect. Keeping from digging to planting in the same year should be no problems if first cured properly. I keep my seed garlic in the out door shed until planting in October in my Zone 5. Here is the present stored garlic. www.durgan.org/URL/?SOLFU These bulbs are perfect after six months of storage in my basement cold room about 10 degrees C. www.durgan.org/URL/?ZDEZV 12 August 2009 Harvesting Hard Neck Snake Garlic. Due to being away the harvest is about a month late. Late harvest means the bulb splits the clovers away from the normal protective sheath. Only a few bulbs indicate this condition. These will be used first, and the others dried for about ten days for Winter storage. The weight was 31 pounds for 92 bulbs. Average weight, dug, is about 0.33 pounds per bulb. www.durgan.org/URL/?KAJVY 18 August 2009 Hard Neck Snake Garlic (Allium sativum) Curing The dried weight is about 26 pounds from first dug of 31 pounds. Ten pound are in excellent condition and will probably store well for about a year. Twelve pounds had split bulbs, due to late harvesting, and will store poorly, so will be used first. About four pound or 14 of the largest bulbs were selected for seeding in October 2009. The bulbs will be further dried in their storage containers, which is usually a paper bag. Two to three bulbs for about a pound. Garlic growing completed for the 2009 year.
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swampr
Global Moderator
Posts: 230
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Garlic
Feb 13, 2010 12:34:36 GMT -5
Post by swampr on Feb 13, 2010 12:34:36 GMT -5
Durgan: Remove the word "only" from "there are only two types of garlic" and you will regain some credibility. It's true that there are two types, but there are seven distinct subtypes and even within the subtypes there are significant variations within the strains, especially in flavor. It's true that garlic is not reproduced sexually, so there is greater likelihood that there are identical strains, with different names, than with most vegetables. I'm probably growing some, and it might take me a year or two to fiigure that out. So be it. It may be your opinion, and that of commercial markets, that garlic should be pure white, that does not make it ideal. You might take a look at the filaree farm catalog at www.filareefarm.com/ and begin the appreciate diversity rather than denying it. I think it's a mistake to suggest that there are too many tomato varieties. Tomatoes are much more interesting and exciting due to the work that is being done by some of the people who post here. Careful hybridization, stabilization, selection and interspecies crosses have resulted in some flavors, colors, growth characteristics, and disease resistance that are quite unique and desirable.
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Garlic
Feb 13, 2010 13:03:57 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 13, 2010 13:03:57 GMT -5
Durgan: Remove the word "only" from "there are only two types of garlic" and you will regain some credibility. It's true that there are two types, but there are seven distinct subtypes and even within the subtypes there are significant variations within the strains, especially in flavor. It's true that garlic is not reproduced sexually, so there is greater likelihood that there are identical strains, with different names, than with most vegetables. I'm probably growing some, and it might take me a year or two to fiigure that out. So be it. It may be your opinion, and that of commercial markets, that garlic should be pure white, that does not make it ideal. You might take a look at the filaree farm catalog at www.filareefarm.com/ and begin the appreciate diversity rather than denying it. I think it's a mistake to suggest that there are too many tomato varieties. Tomatoes are much more interesting and exciting due to the work that is being done by some of the people who post here. Careful hybridization, stabilization, selection and interspecies crosses have resulted in some flavors, colors, growth characteristics, and disease resistance that are quite unique and desirable. Tomatoes are so susceptible to the weather, and care provided that it is almost impossible to meet one's expectations as to quality and quantity, except for the green picked commercial types. Growing for about 40 years, in several locations in Ontario, assume one year I have an exceptional plant. The next year it may be essentially a dud. I have come to the conclusion that the standard hybrids are probably better than many of the so called heirloom types. One picture of a large, twisted, and distorted fruit impress not. To convince me I need to see a picture of the plant, and the quantity fruit produced, the shape, and a cross-section. I tried for the perfect crop of about 15 names (30) plants in 2009 with much effort and due to adverse weather only got enough fruit for our table. Early and late potato blight was the culprit, which is almost unknown in this area. It rained often and the weather was cool. Garlic, I only grow the porcelain, hard neck and have never even seen anything that rivals it. For some unknown reason, the only garlic now available is imported from China. The bulbs are much smaller than what I grow. Garlic I consider the most easy plant to grow, with absolutely no care after planting. I grow around 75 to 100 plants. Names impress not. Much hype about nothing. My view.
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Garlic
Feb 13, 2010 13:16:03 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 13, 2010 13:16:03 GMT -5
I move to a new bed each year for my garlic, and this area is a bit wet at ground level, so I made a raised bed. I always grow more than I consume. Garlic planted www.durgan.org/URL/?RZUHC 8 October 2009 Planting Garlic (Allium sativum, Hard neck) Planted using 2009 best and largest cloves. Seventy five cloves were planted for the main harvest. Forty five bulblets from another garden, and fifteen one year old cloves, which grew from bulblets last year in another garden, were planted as an experiment to see how large the bulbs will get. Spacing is 6 inch centers, and depth is about three inches for the base of the clove. The bed was prepared on the 10 of September and covered with wood chips to diffuse rain water and to reduce moisture evaporation. After planting the wood chips were raked over the bed to limit frost heaving of the soil during the freeze and thaw cycles during the winter. The mulch will be moved away from the emerging shoots in the early spring.
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jcm05
Administrator
Posts: 1,685
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Garlic
Feb 13, 2010 17:37:00 GMT -5
Post by jcm05 on Feb 13, 2010 17:37:00 GMT -5
Tomatoes are so susceptible to the weather, and care provided that it is almost impossible to meet one's expectations as to quality and quantity, except for the green picked commercial types. Growing for about 40 years, in several locations in Ontario, assume one year I have an exceptional plant. The next year it may be essentially a dud. I have come to the conclusion that the standard hybrids are probably better than many of the so called heirloom types. Well, seeing Lemon Boy on your grow list, that opinion may be more a product of what you grow rather than that blanket statement. I can't imagine Lemon Boy living up to any expectations. Especially in a year where late blight rears its head.
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Garlic
Feb 13, 2010 22:27:17 GMT -5
Post by durgan on Feb 13, 2010 22:27:17 GMT -5
Tomatoes are so susceptible to the weather, and care provided that it is almost impossible to meet one's expectations as to quality and quantity, except for the green picked commercial types. . Well, seeing Lemon Boy on your grow list, that opinion may be more a product of what you grow rather than that blanket statement. I can't imagine Lemon Boy living up to any expectations. Especially in a year where late blight rears its head. Nothing grows if blight is bad. Mind you I only encountered it once. It devastated the local area. Potatoes as well as tomatoes. I have grown lemon boy for three years and am totally astonished by the quality and quantity. Usually only two plants because I don't particularly like them, since I have the mental block that a tomato should be red. But usually I don't babble much, but produce pictures. I checked my 2007 and 2008 photos, but didn't do a particularly good job of photographing so will have to wait for 2010, when I will take many good photos.
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Garlic
Feb 14, 2010 8:54:56 GMT -5
Post by timothyt on Feb 14, 2010 8:54:56 GMT -5
May I suggest there are only two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck. There is a slight variation in color amongst them, but they are variations of one of the types. Ideally garlic should be pure white with large cloves. I grow the same hard neck year after year from my own cloves. It is white, large and could be described as almost perfect. I carefully cure it in the Fall and even now have about 25 perfect bulbs in my cold room. Only the largest cloves are planted for seed. Apparently hardneck stores better, but I have no experience with the softneck. I do utilize the scapes from my hardneck garlic. All garlic tastes the same. The names are getting out of hand, similar to the 5000 tomato types. The so called elephant garlic is not even garlic, and has a very weak flavor, but is easy to handle. My view about garlic. Durgan, that is a most fascinating viewpoint. But I must humbly reply that is certainly not my viewpoint nor experience. I have found very few garlic varieties that actually taste the same. I enjoy the many different colors, tastes, sizes, attributes, etc., of garlic in the same way I enjoy all the differences in tomatoes, peppers and all veggies. Different tomatoes, different peppers, and certainly different garlic for all the different attributes they represent when eaten raw or prepared in so many different ways. What an open and diverse world of flavor and color I do indeed enjoy and revel in that I wish all could experience. Just my viewpoint. T
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bunkie
Tomato Gardener
Posts: 69
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Garlic
Feb 14, 2010 12:43:54 GMT -5
Post by bunkie on Feb 14, 2010 12:43:54 GMT -5
i agree timothy. there are garlics that put one's mouth on fire, and then those that are mild. another thing i look for is those that keep their flavor after cooking.
i have to find my list and will post later...this year will be a new experience cause we only got 12 inches of snow in December, and only rain and fog since. a muddy mess out there. our garlic has always had a hefty 4 plus feet of snow on it till spring, since '89.
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Garlic
Feb 17, 2010 9:39:54 GMT -5
Post by timothyt on Feb 17, 2010 9:39:54 GMT -5
Hey Bunkie And I will have the opposite experience as we got your snow and cold here in NC. We've had 20" of snow over normal so far with temps running far below normal for the past 2 months. Will probably be good for the hard necks, but not so sure how it will affect some of my "Southernized" softnecks. We shall see! All look healthy so far, on the few days when I can find them!
T
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bunkie
Tomato Gardener
Posts: 69
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Garlic
Feb 17, 2010 14:00:40 GMT -5
Post by bunkie on Feb 17, 2010 14:00:40 GMT -5
we plant both the hard and the soft neckshere timothy, and they both love that snow cover in the winter!
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