Hardneck garlic

[smitty55]

Garlic is looking good when I removed all the leaf mulch off today. Some spots aren't up yet but when I carefully scraped the soil down deeper I found good sprouts on all that I checked so I'm still hoping for 100%. Each bed has 98 planted. This was planted last November, covered with 10" of leaves then a good watering and then covered with those roofing sheets you can see off to the side which keeps the beds from excessive moisture from potential winter rains. Never used to do that but I've had great results since I started.

 

[Meadowlark]

Looking good.

I use those roofing sheets for all kinds of things. Right now, they are serving as drying beds for my spring onion crop harvest which is just starting.

 

[DiggersJo]

When do you harvest there?

 

[smitty55]

Looking good.

I use those roofing sheets for all kinds of things. Right now, they are serving as drying beds for my spring onion crop harvest which is just starting.

Yea I initially got 10 of those for my firewood rows but I'm down to 6 rows a year now so they come in real handy for the garlic. My current boxes are only 1" cedar lumber so keeping the moisture levels down over the winter keeps things from expanding too much. The others I usually move the soil from the sides of the boxes and pile it high in the middle over the winter if I don't have any hairy vetch growing.

 

[smitty55]

When do you harvest there?

Usually around the last week of July once the third leaf from the bottom is mostly brown and then it's close to three weeks curing depending on weather. I just chopped up a whole Spanish Roja bulb today and it was still rock hard and juicy, I've had some last into late summer before. If the get soft I slice and dehydrate and then grind for powder. I haven't bought garlic in at least a decade and even then it was for a different variety.