Arlene, what variety are you growing? I'm sure it would be a popular item at the farmers market.

It certainly was last year. We sold out in just a few days.

This years varieties:
Aglio Rosso - Creole
Ajo Rojo - Creole
Asian Temptest - Asiatic
Burgundy - Creole
Chesnok Red - Purple Stripe
Chet's Italian Red - Artichoke
Chinese Purple - Turban
Creole Red - Creole
Duganski - Purple Stripe
Inchellium Red - Artichoke
Keeper - Creole
Okrent - Artichoke
Pescadero Red - Creole
Siberian - Marbled Purple Stripe
Susanville - Artichoke

A nice variety! I hope your garlic sales go well this year. When do you harvest? What else do you sell at the market?

Thanks. We harvest in June. Market is year round but main summer market starts first Sat. in May. We sell lettuce, peppers, cukes, tomatoes, garlic, honey, cut flowers, most veggies, melon and some plants.

Arlene, it does sound like you keep busy with your farmers market. Do you have to travel far to reach your market? It's an hour or more for me, and I've hesitated to get started with market sales. I'd really love to give it a try. My local community is pretty small - the last time I visited their farmers market area they had 2 vendors and 3 customers. Maybe I can try to expand the local group a bit and draw more customers. If anyone has experience expanding interest in their local market, I'm all ears!

Jill, our FM is approx. 15 miles away. There is a closer one but I did that one first year and even though I was pleased with it, the one we go to now has a LOT more traffic and the people there don't mind paying more for FRESH food. We grow organically but are not certified. That seems to be what most people are concerned about.

We started out in a small town in MD's eastern shore, new market start up. It just didn't work out. But it gave us an idea of what to sell, when to harvest, etc. Then when I moved here I did the local "surplus" market and did well. We were thrilled. Just trying to get a feel for it and figure out how to organize, price and so on.

This past year I jumped in to the current market and Whoa! Most times we sell out. And we are getting to be known and have quite a few regulars. We're small because we just do it as a hobby, not to make a living. That way it's more fun. But it's a lot of work. Mostly the prep work.

We do a lot of variety. I think we had about 20 or more different types of tomatoes and we give samples and some people are very particular about which ones they want, some like them all. We also sell potted plants (just a few, my extras)

I used to harvest the morning of but quickly realized I needed to do it the day/night before. And I do cut flowers so it takes a little bit of time to make the bouquets. At the other market I could make the bouquets while waiting for customers. Not now!

This market is twice a week during the summer but we only go on Sat., mostly because I don't have enough produce to sell two times a week. They also have a winter market but we didn't do it. I needed a break!

Doing market can be so much fun and fulfilling. Nice customers, great fellow vendors. If there's any way you can try it out, I would encourage you to do it.

I'm looking forward to moving to Idaho, where I've been told the Farmer's Market is great. We have them all over here in Utah, but they are so packed that it's no fun to go. Parking is a headache, at best, and the crowds are insane. If you don't get there first thing, everyone is sold out. The people we bought our house from sold veggies at the FM there, and said they did great. She said the crowds weren't bad because the town is so small, but she usually sold out by the end of the day. Sounds kind of perfect to me! I can't wait to go shopping there to check out if anyone is selling garlic! I've got a garlic obsession all of a sudden!

That is exciting! My son got on a garlic obsession, that's how we got where we are.

Check out the local one and talk to some of the vendors. Check pricing, ask about what moves well. Do you think you'll have time to do the market this year yet? When will you be moving?

Arlene, we won't be moving in time to do anything this year, if things keep going the way they have been going. I'll be surprised if I even get to plant tomatoes this year, unless I can get my husband to put up fences fast! I'm just looking forward to getting the garlic in the ground this fall. But, I will be able to check out the market between now and then, which is probably the best plan. I don't want to jump into anything that is going to be a waste of time, so it's probably best that I'm not going to have enough time to do anything this year.

Natalie, Be an observer and plan so you will be better prepared when you finally do get to give it a try. If you have any questions, let me know, I can tell you what our experiences have been! Good luck with the move!

Wow. Just started researching the edible posts and I am amazed with the information here. What a site. Looking for something my son and myself can get involved with, and we love garlic. He started growing several varieties of peppers and a few tomatoes last year and some onions. I usually only grow tomatoes and the rest of my gardens are full of perennials. Do not have acreage. We grow just for our own consumption.

We are deinately interetsed in "Garlic" since we are Hungarian decendents. I have never grown any so I have no experience or advice to give my son. We are zone 5a, Illinois. Nice to have advice from true gardeners, not just from serfing the web. I would rather have "suggestions and helpful advice" from folks like yourselves.

Has anyone had success in growing garlic in Illinois and which ones would you suggest to start with for my zone? I had no idea there were sooooo many. What is the advantage to Elephant Garlic opposed to others?

Thanks for helping out a newbie trying to add garlic to our gardens. I guess we all planted garlic for our first time one time or another. Thanks for any help in advance.

Elephant Garlic is not even a garlic, but is more related to the onion genus. It has a very, very mild garlic taste, and is often referred to as "The garlic for people who don't like garlic". That's not to say you won't like it, just know that if you like true garlic flavors, you won't find much of it there with the elephant type. I don't know about growing garlic in IL. I grow mine in NE Mississippi, and everything I grow are gourmet-type garlics. I am sorry I can't help you there. Ken

Doglover, I'm glad you found us! I think that you should visit your local farmers markets, talk to people about the kind of garlic they are selling, and buy some different ones to try. Most garlic will grow just about anywhere, but in the north we lean more toward the hardneck varieties. More softnecks are grown in the south. Many places that sell garlic seed offer variety packs.

Thanks Arlene!

Thanks Ken and Mary. The 3 local Farmers markets are not helpful. One only has 3 vendors anymore and they do not sell Garlic, the second comes from Michigan and the third does not offer garlic either. I really like the personal touch here in the site, I know I can count on the folks here to give good advice. Defiantely will be growing "garlic" and not elephant garlic when I get going. I will take the time to research the Elephant Garlic and how it is used in cooking.

Sounds like there must be too many kinds to choose just a few that are the more reliable and tastier. When I cook, I want garlic to taste like garlic should. Need a farmer around my area that sells samplers to taste and see which ones I would be interested in instead of trial and error. Too expensive to buy one of every kind. Thanks folks

Doglover. Maybe you could google garlic festivals and see if there might be one close enough for you to go to. That might be a way to taste some different varieties?

You may want to grow some varieties that are better storing than others as well as for flavor. You can start off with just a couple of varieties and make sure you save some for planting the following year and add one more variety each year, saving some from each, each year. Or eliminating some each year. It just takes a little bit of time to know which ones you'll want to grow.

Thanks Arelne, will give research a try. Storing is definately the key here. Does anyone know the so called everyday garlic they sell at most of the grocery stores? Seems to be not listed as anything special.I suppose I am quilty of not looking for the name, just grab the garlic and away I go. I am not talking about any specialty stores.

Also, do you have a certain garlic that you use in making garlic butter? Seems that the variety must be the key to getting the better tasting garlic butter taste that some restaurants use on say their Poorboy Steak sandwiches? Must be a pretty strong one. Any adivce on chopping the garlic and storing in the refrigerator in a jar for easy use.

Thanks again garlic lovers! Sorry for asking so many question. I love this site and lean something new everytime I visit.

I will pull my eight varieties of garlic perhaps the middle of May, hang it all up to dry for a couple of weeks, and then will sell what I don't want for myself to cook with and to replant in the fall. When I post my garlic I always tell what variety it is and something about the garlic - garlic flavor (strong, medium, mild), heat (fresh garlic is actually hot), and storage. I will have at least a couple of varieties of Creole garlic, and for me, they beat all other varities I have ever grown. I will probably post it on ATP but when I have it ready to sell/ship, it will be on my website, www.tropicalplantsandmore.com. Ken in Mississippi

Thanks ken