Last October I planted garlic in one of our raised garden beds. Yesterday, I pulled all the chicken fencing off the straw covered bed of garlic and was happy to find oodles of tiny green shoots poking through.
I had to place the fencing on the garlic bed because the chickens kept scratching around in the soil for worms and pecking at the tiny bits of green that were starting to make their way towards the sun.
I didn’t count all the little green shoots, but I’m hoping we will have enough garlic to use this summer for canning tomato sauce, salsa, pickles, and whatever else we can dream up.
Spring is on it’s way, and I couldn’t be more excited!
Did YOU plant garlic last fall? How is yours doing?
~Mavis
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michelle says
Yup. Planted at the end of October & it’s up now. Keep those chickens away from your sprouted garlic– they’ll eat it to nubs! The type I grow (Inchelium Red) is ready to harvest on about the 4th July– plant on Halloween, harvest on the 4th. Easy to remember!
jubob says
we planted what was leftover from last year’s garlic(man is that stuff so much better than storebought) and were very surprised to see a couple of sprouts. woohoo we are in northern ohio so not much is up but that’s a goood sign.
Debby says
I planted last October, but don’t expect to see any sprouts for at least 5-6 weeks, as it is under at least a foot of snow still. My garden is in upper Michigan.
Denise A. says
I live in San Diego and the garlic in my kitchen has sprouted. I am in the process of building a raised beds. From your photos it looks like all you have to do is plant the bulb. How do you know when it’s ready to harvest, after it blooms?
Diane says
Denise – separate the individual garlic cloves (don’t peel), and plant those about 2-4 inches deep, root side down/pointy end up. When the tops of some of the green shoots (called “scapes”) start to curl and corkscrew, cut them off just below the little swelling where the curl starts. The scapes are edible, have a delicate garlic flavor, and you can use them like green onion. Cutting them off directs more nutrients to the bulb and makes it grow larger.
The garlic is ready to harvest when some of the leaves have wilted and turned yellow, but 3 0r 4 leaves are still green – the green leaves indicate how many layers of “paper” are protecting the garlic bulb. Harvest the garlic, tie or braid the stalks – with bulbs still attached – in loose bunches, and hang somewhere cool, dry and dark for a couple of weeks to let the bulbs cure. Then you can either keep the braids hung up, or cut off the bulbs at the base of the stalk and store the bulbs (still in a cool, dark place) in plastic netting bags or burlap. Good luck and have fun!
Kim H says
Everytime I plant garlic, the squirrels dig it up!
An Oregon mom says
If you really love pickles and garlic, and have alot of garlic laying atound at harvest time. you can always combine the 2 and can dill pickled garlic. It rocks and keeps vampires away! !!
Cherri says
How exciting to see yours up! I planted garlic for the first time last Oct. and have been watching but nothing yet. Didn’t even know what I was really looking for. We are still pretty cold in Central Oregon.
Thanks for the sneek peek!
Courtney says
I planted one of my raised beds full of garlic in October. I had no idea what I was doing and figured it wouldn’t all come up, surprise! Every last piece sprouted. My sprouts are at least 6-8″ tall. But, I live in East Tennessee and we’ve had an exceptionally wet winter. So, now, I’ve lost an entire raised bed, but it’ll be worth it when I harvest all that home grown organic garlic.
Charla Echlin says
Yes! I’m so glad too- sometimes at the end of the season I don’t get everything done, but when I push myself and just go out and do it, then I am so happy come spring to see everything coming up. I have got quite a few shoots coming up-
I also just finished harvesting my potatoes -last fall was spent concentrating on family- and surprise! My garden did fine without me :)- I probably pulled up another 7 lbs of reds and fingerlings- Craving that Olive Garden Zuppa so I’m making up a batch of their kale/potato soup right now. yum.
Connie says
Planted a little later than October, but I have green sprouts coming up. Yahoo! Next year I’ll try and plant a lot more. It’s so easy.
Lisa N says
PLANT IT? I have been trying to GET RID OF IT! When I moved into my house there was garlic growing solid in a planter bed, and in with the asparagus! I noticed yesterday that a few sprouts are coming up in the asparagus bed, but for the most part, I think I may have beaten them at their own game!
I wouldn’t mind a few in a contained environment!
Diana says
This is the fourth year I have grown garlic. I live in a mild climate so mine are about six inches tall already. I usually harvest in June and have a great crop. I roast the garlic and squeeze it out into the small snack size plastic bags. Then I load all of those into a large freezer bag. That way I can keep one little bag in the fridge ready for cooking at all times. It is a lot of work initially but so nice to have it ready for cooking with no prep!
Dena says
I planted garlic last fall and was shocked to find a whole raised bed of green sprouts! My brother, who is a wonderful gardener promises me that it will be just fine through our cold, snowy Michigan winter. Now hopefully the squirrels will stay out of it!
Sandi says
So my question is, I am in Everett, and when do you take the straw off? Should we wait, or is it okay now?
Mavis says
Hi Sandi, you can take it off anytime really. I typically wait until I start to prep the garden beds and turn the straw under in the other beds. Maybe about another month or so. 🙂 Hope that helps.
Sandi says
Thank you.