Hard neck garlic

[On the Moors]

I planted some in tubs early October last year. Apparently they will be ready for harvesting when the leaves turn yellow. They look quite green and healthy at the moment so when can I expect the leaves to turn?

 

[Meadowlark]

Howdy. I grow the soft neck garlic so it may be different for hard neck garlic, but I plant it in Oct. and about 1/2 the leaves turn yellow the following late May early June here.

Garlic is a little different from onions in that all the leaves don't yellow only about half and the other half stays green whereas onions completely yellow and flop over at bulb maturity.

 

[GFTL]

I'm in Michigan 6b. I plant in late Oct.-early Nov. Harvest in July. You can harvest a few early if you need some for cooking.

 

[rosmith]

Hard neck garlic usually needs about 8 to 9 months to get ready. So, if you planted it in early October, you’ll likely see those leaves turning yellow around June or July. Remember that the timing can change a bit based on your local weather and how you’re growing it.

 

[smitty55]

I've been growing hardneck garlic for 25 years. Our winters get quite cold. I plant first week of November and harvest mid July once the bottom 3 leaves have turned. Cured for 2-3 weeks and it stays nice and hard stored in the basement until at least May at which point I dehydrate and grind for powder. I've still had plantable garlic in Sept but I only use garlic from the same year as seed.

 

[On the Moors]

Thanks everyone. It's the first time that I have grown hard neck garlic. Things are much clearer now.

 

[smitty55]

Thanks everyone. It's the first time that I have grown hard neck garlic. Things are much clearer now.

Just to let you know what I feed my garlic. Garlic is a heavy feeder. Before planting I add bone meal, gypsum and a thin layer of wood ashes to the bed. Often I will also add some compost and composted manure to the bed before mixing it all in. In a 4x8 bed I plant 98 cloves, lightly rake the bed and then add a thick layer of leaves for the winter. Come May once I see green sprouts emerging from the soil I remove all the leaves to help the soil warm up faster and add a few pails of alfalfa pellets. They break down easily with rain. Once the garlic is a foot high I add another thin layer of hardwood ashes and then replace the leaves but in a thinner layer this time of around 6". This mulch is critical to maintain moisture levels while moderating soil temps as garlic prefers damp warm soil as opposed to hot dry soil. In mid June the scapes start to emerge from the center stem and withing a week will have grown at least a foot and made a complete curl at which time they need to get cut off and used in the kitchen however you like.

Here's how I cure my garlic, there's 200 bulbs there. It's a mostly shaded area and if rain is called for I cover it with plastic sheeting but at that time of year we don't get a lot of rain. I cure them until stems are brown and completely dry and the roots are dry and brittle. Then I trim the roots off and cut the stem back to about 3" before storing in the basement.

 

[On the Moors]

Thanks smitty55

I'm ashamed to say that I did look this up when i planted the garlic but have never fertilized the garlic once! I've just given them a decent feed.

i took up growing veg. three years ago when I retired. I'll get the hang of it one day.

 

[smitty55]

Thanks smitty55

I'm ashamed to say that I did look this up when i planted the garlic but have never fertilized the garlic once! I've just given them a decent feed.

i took up growing veg. three years ago when I retired. I'll get the hang of it one day.

Yea some good ferts will result in larger bulbs. Couple of other things to mention. Once the scapes start keep a good look out for leek moth damage, they lay their eggs and the the small green caterpillar will burrow into the stem of the scape and eventually will travel all the way down to the bulb if you don't catch them in time. I'll post a pic, not sure if you have them there. Lastly, about two weeks before harvest cut off all watering, so basically around the time the first leaf close to soil level gets brown