growing garlic

[paintboy]

Looking for tips on growing garlic. I'm in middle TN. What we call soil others call clay. I've been composting for years so you have to dig a bit to find the clay but it's there. I've tried growing garlic the last 2 years and the bulbs end up small. They taste great and have a good strong kick to them, just small.

[Paquebot]

Garlic needs loose soil to almost a foot deep for best results. As the plant grows, the bulb is pulled down and the roots don't start until about 6" deep. Compost sitting on top of clay is no help. It also needs more nitrogen than many other vegetables. Full sun and no weed competition also a must. And, start with a variety which gets big if large bulbs expected.

Martin

[luvrulz]

Best to plant in the fall, Nov usually.

[catahoula]

I grow garlic in clay soil that is hard as pavement, I plant in the earliest of spring while the soil is still cold, I top dress with a heavy layer of sheep manure and soiled bedding, we water when the rain fails. I dig in september. I plant the largest cloves that over winter, I have edible cloves in storage over 14 months old. That's it.

this is one garlic bed in May

or you could do what they do
Cheers, Guy.

[wannabechef]

Mmm...garlic, a staple in my house!

[paintboy]

my mouth is watering. That is some pretty garlic. From the looks of it I'm crowding my beds and need more light and weed control.

Thanks

[bennypapa]

I live in central KY and here's what I do.
I've added compost and sand to my soil. Going on 5 years worth. Every fall I turn in about 6" of leaves and compost and make a raised bed. Plant from Mid OCT until just after first couple of frosts. Should be in by now. Mulch with leaves.
When the first couple of leaves begin to yellow, water heavily to soften the soil if rain has been scarce. Don't go by the calendar, go by the plant. If it is done, it is done no matter the month. Dig up a test head or two. Do they have cloves beginning to separate from the head? You waited too long. Are they too small? Wait a little longer.
When digging the crop, make sure the soil is soft and not dried out. Dig up way more soil than needed for each head and be careful as you separate the soil from the heads. If you get too close to each head when you dig you'll bruise it and have storage problems. I've done that.

The more humus in your soil the better. Mine was awful when I started. Had knots of gray clay in with the red/brown clay soil. I made a pot out of some of the gray clay clumps.
Now, things are better and this last harvest didn't bruise a single head.

Good luck and let us know how it does.
Ben

[semimoonman]

We don't have a problem growing garlic in--what sounds like at least--very similar clay soil to what you're talking about. We get great heads and grow in the worst, clayiest soil in the garden. (One thing I learned from this garden is: when you're building a garden, enclose more space that you think you could ever possibly use. We grow garlic outside of the fenced area because all the critters leave it alone.)
In addition to spacing, you might look at the variety of garlic that you're planting. We grow three different varieties: Music, Red Russian, and mother-in-law (literally my mother-in-law's strain). The Music is huge and the Red Russian is small--sometimes puny. It's hard, but try to put aside the biggest cloves to plant next year. That's what my mother-in-law did to get massive and flavorful heads.
You might also plant other crops with large root systems after you harvest your garlic (here in PA around July 4). I experimented a little with that this year. We put in daikon radish and fennel among other things after the garlic harvest this year. Both the daikon and fennel really drilled down through the clay (which starts about 6" down). There's way more daikon and fennel than I would ever eat, but at least with daikon, I've read about people simply leaving in the ground to compost and add more organic matter back to the clay. We'll see how that works out.

[ronbre]

super easy to grow, I have clay soil..it will even overwinter if some is left in the soil here in Michigan

[Paquebot]

Good drainage is important, especially during wet years. Many of the hardnecks will suffer from basal rot if the roots remain wet for too long at maturity. The roots naturally die during that period but wet conditions will cause it to continue to the base of the bulb. Cloves will still be good for use in the kitchen for awhile but they will never be able to grow roots.

Martin

[hiddensprings]

I am in middle TN as well and have grown garlic for years successfully. My soil is like yours I am sure. Hard, Red Clay that can be like a brick in the summer or dry months but can also hang on to water deeper down. I use a 3 point plow to plow my garden deep, I've added compost, and replowed. Then tilled, and disk harrowed. I plant my garlic in Oct, spread a layer of straw over it and walk away. The two varieties that I have the most success with is the California Early and Late. Not as colorful as some of the other varieties, but I sell a ton of these.

[solidwoods]

Originally Posted by Paquebot

Garlic needs loose soil to almost a foot deep for best results. As the plant grows, the bulb is pulled down and the roots don't start until about 6" deep. Compost sitting on top of clay is no help. It also needs more nitrogen than many other vegetables. Full sun and no weed competition also a must. And, start with a variety which gets big if large bulbs expected.

Martin

Ditto

paintboy
From your post I'd say planting stock was missing. That is why Paquebot has a mention about variety. And to me, if I like a vegitable I plant a few variety's so if one or more dud I still have something to harvest.

[paintboy]

I believe the strain I'm using is called Kroger. :-) I use as much will power as I can to save the largest cloves. I planted about 75 the first week of October and then the paint business got busy as it tends to do in the fall. Usually by now the weather turns and kill off the weeds but no. 65 and sunny today. I'm pulling weeds in December. Who would have thunk. My plant are about 8 - 10 inches tall. I'm tempted to pull the smallest ones to thin the herd and let the bigger ones get bigger.

Thanks for all the great info

[Paquebot]

If you named them "Kroger", then they are an artichoke type which isn't going to get much bigger than when you bought them. It would be the same or similar to California Early which is good for braiding. They also aren't as susceptible to basal rot as rocamboles and other hardnecks and can stand crowding a little better. But no garlic can handle competition from weeds.

Martin

[Speckledpup]

Originally Posted by hiddensprings

I am in middle TN as well and have grown garlic for years successfully. My soil is like yours I am sure. Hard, Red Clay that can be like a brick in the summer or dry months but can also hang on to water deeper down. I use a 3 point plow to plow my garden deep, I've added compost, and replowed. Then tilled, and disk harrowed. I plant my garlic in Oct, spread a layer of straw over it and walk away. The two varieties that I have the most success with is the California Early and Late. Not as colorful as some of the other varieties, but I sell a ton of these.

Middle TN here also, I think a few miles from hiddensprings and I grow mine in raised beds. Had illiness's in the last 2 years and even with the weeds taking over the elephant garlic has survived.

[Tricky Grama]

I planted last yr & got a good bunch. Just used a bulb from the grocery store & broke up the cloves. But i planted in a bed of perennials & some of those took over.

[Sparkie]

Plant in late Sept - Oct, mulch deep to control weeds and help with moisture, and forget it till harvest. Garlic is by far the easiest thing we grow.