Garlic is definitely cost effective because you can save enough cloves and replant them. With a little luck you literally only need to purchase garlic once in a lifetime.

Varieties I don't really know. I like Musik and Siberian Red in my zone 5, but there are a lot of varieties out there that will grow well for you.

Here is a link of a place where I buy the garlic I plant. I try different varieties searching for different tastes. The cheapest way out would be to go to Sam's Club and buy a bag, less than $5, and plant as much as you want of it and eat the rest. Each clove produces a bulb so you can imagine how much you'd get from a large bag. Most suppliers of seed garlic are sold out by this time of year. Plant in October harvest in July.

Here is a link that might be useful: We Grow Garlic

I have found out that growing onios and garlic is very easy and cost effective. Unlike things like tomatoes, they can have a long storage life, if dried properly at the harvest. I have already planted some garlic and they are up and growing. In my area (zone 8- GA) they will overwinter and the following May/June will be ready to harvest. In the meantime. you can pull some up and use their green or young bulbs for cooking.
Onions are similar. I plant sets (rather than seeds). I plant them close and thin them as they are scallions and the rest will mature as onions. Do not plant them too deep.
In the spring time, remove the soil from aroun and top of the onions such that about half of the bulb is exposed. This way they will grow bigger. My experience shows that yellow and red onions are best. The white ones rot too easily. So I will not plant white onions again.
With the garligs, I just plant the store-bough garligs, ONLY the outer bigger cloves. They are what is called soft neck garlics. Good enough for me. I will look for other varietes in the grocery stores.

Cyrus,

Where in Atlanta did you find your garlic and onion sets? Did you make sure that the garlic was organic or just take the chance? How did you know it was softneck garlic, which, as I understand it, is what is best to grow in the south, rather than hardneck garlic. I'm also looking at planting some elephant garlic this year as well. I was planning on planting mid October. Any reason you planted earlier? What do you know that I don't know? :)

Thanks!
Susan

Back to Beanie730's questions. Onions and garlic can be planted in the same area, but I wouldn't comigle, keep your rows/areas dedicated to one or the other. Definately cost effective. As justaguy2 said, you buy it once and replant from your stock. In z6 you're going to be better off and more successful with hardneck types. Most of the garlic you buy in the grocery , or see braided is softneck. The hardneck has a stiff stem in the center where the scape comes up. Checkout Seedsavers.com they have an excellent selection and descriptions and recommendations. In your area you will plant in the next month or so and harvest usually in July. Dig when the tops start to turn yellow, don't wait for them to go all dry, you'll miss too many. Cut the tops back to about 6" and tie them in bunches of 10 with a rubber band. Hang them someplace that is dry with good air circulation. The skins will become dry and papery when mature. I will be cleaning the heads this weekend here in WI. I harvested 220 bulbs of 4 different varieties. Clip off the roots and the stem down to the bulb. Store in mesh bags in a cool dry dark place. Depending on the vairety the store better or not. I have one that will start to sprout around Christmas, and another that is still good the following May. Lots of threads here about how to preserve, I like the grinding and freezing method personally. When saving to replant you always replant the very biggest best cloves. This is your "selection process" to get the best genes you can in your crop. Good luck, nothing could be easier than garlic!

Steve

susan, I have found bags of onion sets, red, yellow and white at my local Lowes' something like 60 sets maybe even 80 per bag for $1.50. I always buy way too many and then I'm plopping onion bulbs here there and everywhere i can find a free inch of space. and if you forget them and dont pull them up before their tops drop, they will just grow back again (at least this is what I have seen in my garden).

Last year at the end of the season, they were 75 % off (of $1.50 for 80 sets?), that's practically free!!!! so of course, I bought extra bags and kept them

For the original poster in MI: garlic are planted in early October, the same time you would plant bulbs. Hardneck will do better for you than soft. You'll harvest in early July. Onions, on the other hand, will be set out in the garden in April, either sets or little plants from seed that you start yourself. They'll be harvested in August. If you set aside a special area for these plants, how will you give a three year rotation? I set out my garlic (Leningrad and Chesnok Red) where my peppers have been, and in my rotation, they are followed the next year with turnips and late beets and carrots.