I Planted then 9 to a square in the spring after I built the garden and got some small cloves so far. No idea what variety.

They are in the corner in this picture.

I should be planting more now!

I planted mine in a diamond pattern last week and got 21 in two square feet. First time I've planted garlic like that, so I'm not sure how successful it will be.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I love all your raised beds! I'm jealous. :)

I read on a blog that they soaked the garlic in baking soda water to kill diseases and then a 3 minute soak in vodka before planting. I have nevered planted garlic so is this because the garlic came from a grocery store that they used this method??? I just bought a bulb of garlic from the grocery store just to see what would happen! What do you think?

I'll be darned if I'm going to get my garlic drunk before I plant it! I saw that blog too. She also stripped the garlic naked before soaking it in the booze. I think it would have been more exciting for the neighbors if SHE'd stripped naked, got drunk and then planted the garlic LOL! Nah...I just popped mine into the ground and if it grows it grows.

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I'd skip the fancy garlic prep and just put them in the soil. As for the grocery store garlic, a lot of times it is treated to prevent it from sprouting. I've heard of others planting it before though with good results. It would be fun to give it a try.

I planted grocery store garlic, so I guess we'll find out soon enough. Actually, that's the only kind I've ever planted, and it's always grown. I'd never heard that about garlic, only about potatoes.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Heh, I love the naked garlic post. Does anyone have any experience planting garlic 4/sq ft versus 9/sq ft? Are the bulbs larger? Do you guys have experience with winter planting? Planting in the winter is supposed to give you larger bulbs at fall harvest, does it also give you small cloves in the spring (someone had said that, I thought). What are garlic scapes? Sorry to ask so many follow ups, but this is my first experience with garlic. I've done a bit of research, but it seems like I don't understand some of the nomenclature.

Granny - I can't stop laughing! What a visual! Cheers!

I was giggling, too, Granny... LOL

As for the garlic, I'm about to plant mine and was thinking 9 to a square myself. Mel pretty much recommends planting what the package or variety would normally be spaced at, but with throwing out the window row spacing, right? That's what I remember from finally finishing the book recently... if you don't know, then that's what ya do... I also think different varieties are planted different spacings, so it might be hard to give a general 4 or 9 or what have you, per square.

Blessings,
Angela

I did 4 to a square.

I did two different hard neck varieties, and I'd really rather take it cautious as I would prefer large bulbs to small bulbs.

9 to a square just seemed to cramped to me if you picture what a finished garlic bulb should be.

very good point....

Blessings,
Angela

I did 4/SF as well, I figure you could get by with 6/SF if you didn't plant any more garlic in the adjacent squares. Otherwise it's just too close. I still got 40 cloves planted, so that should be enough to save for seed and cook with. We don't use THAT much garlic.

Oh dear, I guess I'll have small garlic with 21 of them in 2 square feet! I guess I can pull every other one through the spring/summer and use them fresh, which will give the others room to grow larger.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Last year I planted 12 per square and got small ones. None of them were as big as the original bulb that was given to me. This year I planted 8 per square.

This will be my third year planting garlic. I planted 9 per sqft both years and got mixed results. Some cloves are much bigger than others.

Every year I save the largest garlic bulbs and replant. This years garlic is, I believe, larger than last years. From what I have read it can take up to three years of selecting and planting the largest cloves to have garlic fully adapted for your location.

So remember when you decide how much to plant to leave at least 15-20% to replant in fall. This also means that a local source for garlic is important. Grocery store garlic is mostly grown in California and not very sutable for most of the rest of the country.

Shade-
Also garlic can not handle shade. Do not plant it north of anything. Shade will significantly reduce the bulb size. Weeding is also crutial for this reason.

Scape-
The scape is a curly that Hardneck garlic gets on top. It is important to trim the scape off about a month before you harvest the garlic (Usually in July for me. Otherwise the bulb will be reduced in size. Softneck garlic was bred to not have a scape so that large growers did not need trim it.

Hardneck garlic, at least what I grew, has smaller bulbs but larger cloves than softneck variety. I grow Georgian Fire & Chesnok Red. Both are easier to peel than the soft neck variety.

Good luck with your garlic.

Thanks gardenchef! And everyone!

This is my 3rd year growning garlic. I plant mine 4 or 5 to a square. Most of the bulbs were about the same size as the originals, some smaller, and some the size of baseballs. I harvested over 150 bulbs this year. I pickled most of it. The rest I use in cooking and making hot sauce. If you end up with a small round bulb that has no cloves you can either use it or stick in back in the ground and it will grow into a larger bulb. The sites below have some good instructions and information. I plant the following varities: Red Toch, Chesnok Red, Music, Silverskin, Oregon Blue, & Susanville. I'm not a Garlic expert but I do love the stuff.

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/
http://www.hoodrivergarlic.com/planting-stock.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Garlic growing info.

Do you folks pull the papery "peel"/"skin" off the clove before planting it? I'm guessing not, since those cloves will sometimes sprout in the fridge unpeeled and unseparated...

I'll jump in on this with the way i did mine. I am doing garlic for the first time this year. I have 6 types a mix of hard and soft. After all the reading I did, i decided on spacing mine 8 inches apart in the raised bed, so for a 6'x4' bed i was able to get 45 cloves in it. I read a report from some university that the garlic did grow bigger with 8 inches. It should grow very good with 6inches too, but I'm after the bigger size. I also did do a overnight baking soda soak (didn't add the seaweed fert though) and peeled the cloves in the morning (I'm not doing much garlic so it wasn't a pain for me)and quickly dipped the full naked clove in achohol and planted I also read peeling really does help with the cloves rootting faster. We'll see what happens.

Melissa

I've read recommendations for both peeling it raw and leaving the skin on. I ended up leaving one layer on so they don't rot before the first freeze. I based my decision on the idea that you don't peel other kinds of bulbs before they go in the ground. But since I've never grown garlic before I have no idea if it matters or if it hinders the growing process like Melissa says. The presoak might work well to stave off any rotting.

Sorry if I post this in the wrong place, not sure where or how to ask a question here.
Last year i planted several cloves but did not harvest them. This spring they are coming up like crazy. Someone told me if i don't dig and separate them they will smother themselves out. Is that true? If i need to sep. them, do i just dig up and sep. like I originally did at planting?
Thanks

This Garlic was planted the 1st part of may in wisconsin, 6 inch spaceing and lots of water. Best planted in the fall for more mature bulbs and seed stock.
Pics taken just before we cut the tops for stir-fry.4 weeks before harvest.
Expandable photo's

scrapes if nobody knows are delicious delicacies....chop the long green part up into 2-3 " pieces, and saute in butter, olive oil and salt......wonderful......

I just planted my elephant garlic.....probably no more than 4 in a sqared foot......

According to our local Extension Service Agent, the main thing they might do to grocery store garlic is to treat it with a substance so it won't sprout before it's purchasesd. For this reason, it may not do well.

Last fall I ran out of garlic. Went to walmart and bought some garlic. Looked just like the other when I dug it up. I am a old grandpa that would love to join granny. No drunk garlic, just granny and me.

"According to our local Extension Service Agent, the main thing they might do to grocery store garlic is to treat it with a substance so it won't sprout before it's purchasesd. For this reason, it may not do well."

I feel like this is an old wives tale.

I have all sorts of problems with garlic from the store sprouting before I can use it. I've also planted it and it has sprouted fine.

Spicy Chicken, what made you decide to build those pipe (abs?) beds? They're cool looking.