I was cleaning out my cold cellar (43 F), and I found some old dried garlic stalks with bulbs. Not sure what it was doing there, or how long it had been there, I decided to break off the heads for eating or planting and compost the stalks. Turns out, it was last garlic that was grown by my grandfather, who died in 2008, and had been stored there since for sentimental reasons. The garlic itself looked in pretty good condition, no visible rotting or mold. I feel really bad for breaking it, and don't want to just throw them out. Are they safe to eat? Could I plant the cloves? Any other creative ideas of what to do with this sentimental garlic?
12 Year Old Garlic (Sentimental value)
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Logan
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Hello @belcairns and welcome to the forums.
If they are dry i wouldn't eat them, it will be best to try and grow them.
If they are dry i wouldn't eat them, it will be best to try and grow them.
Sounds good. Have you heard of people having success growing from older cloves?
Logan
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No but if the cloves look ok then they should be alright to plant out.
I think it would be fun to plant them and see what happens! I once planted some garlic that had been in my fridge forever and since it had the little green starts shooting out I thought why not? So I planted it and waited a growing season and it grew much larger and I harvested it.
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You would be surprised at the resiliency of garlic. Look at it this way. What have you got to lose? Plant it in good soil, water it and see if it grows. Do the stems have a head on the top? If so, plant those also.
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I took a single bulb bought from the super market and separated the cloves. i planted those in good soil and kept them watered. All came up within two weeks . now i just have to bide my time and care for them.
I just planted some cloves off of an organic garlic bulb a week ago. It is already popping up a little sprout today!!
My new sprouts that I'm starting indoors are starting to come up! So far there is arugula, kale, garlic, and collard greens! Here's one of the pics!
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I would plant it. that way the new plant will be part of the story.
I am really surprised at that as I grow 2/300 garlic each year and the other than the ones that I do not keep for seed which I plant in late October/early November will have started sprouting ( showing signs of green shoots actually growing ) by March the year after harvesting in July the previous year. But as others have said nothing ventured nothing gained. Set them and cross your fingers for a good harvest.
I'm sorry for your loss. I would plant the garlic to honor his memory.
Hi. I'm new here, from England, so apologies if I mess this up. I wouldn't eat the garlic, although if you cook it first it might be ok. I'm not sure which country you're in and when you would plant garlic, but early winter through to spring is usually time. Hope this helps
It would be interesting to hear back from belcairns, to learn if he or she was able to get the garlic to sprout.