Ken, I saw a bulb of garlic laying more or less on top of the mulch in the raised bed. When I picked it up it had a green shoot on it. I just stuffed it down into the mulch dirt. So it looks like at least some will grow despite heavy snow yesterday with 2" remaining on the ground this morning. About 32F.

Was it a "bulb" or a "clove", Mary?

It was a clove.

OK, better, Mary.

What you may get is just growth of that single clove. It may not develop the bulb. When you dig it up (when 1/2 the leaves have turned brown) let us know what you find.

I live in Northern California and planted my "Music" garlic in October. The garlic has been growing great. I just noticed some rust on the leaves today and panicked. I cut off all the leaves from the infected plants and threw them in the trash.
I planted 48 cloves and half were infected with rust. I understand I will not be able to use this raised planter to grow garlic for three years due to the rust spores. Has anyone had similar problems? What did you do? Will the garlic be ok.

I don't know, Sherrill. I sure hate you had a rust problem. In my (only) four years growing garlic, and it is all grown in the same raised bed and large pots, I have never noticed any rust. I would not imagine that the rust would affect the quality of your garlic, but again, I just don't know. I wonder whether you can "treat" that raised bed and eliminate the spores before your next planting? I will have to do a little digging (no pun intended) and become more knowledgeable about rust.

I had never even heard of this being a problem -- but apparently it is mainly in the PNW here in the US ?

These articles seem to have pretty good information, but it doesn't sound too hopeful to me

http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantd...

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/n...

Sherrill, I would suggest contacting the Extension Service in your county -- someone there should be knowledgeable about this garlic disease. I really hope you can find some answers and be able to continue to grow garlic. I wonder if using drip irrigation and planting through small holes in a layer of plastic or landscape fabric (to keep soil from being splashed up onto the plants), in a planter filled with fresh soil, would be helpful -- ?

The garlic lady who presented a workshop on garlic last year was adamant (almost vitriolic) about not buying garlic from outside (lower 48) due to the rust problem. She had one and only one supplier for the botanical garden and for resale to ABG members - well, anyone who came there and wanted garlic.

Ken, why do you say I may not get a bulb from my garlic cloves? Because they aren't well developed at this point? Will the single clove just get bigger? Strange way to grow garlic. The ABG has a nice bed of garlic by the front gate that does well each year (as seen when I attended the garlic workshop mentioned above).

I am only guessing at what might occur, Mary. Down here, and we have completely different growing conditions than you do in Anchorage, we plant our garlic in the fall, and during the fall, winter, and early spring, those single cloves develop into full bulbs. I find that an amazing process. When we plant in the late winter/early spring, those cloves are supposed to simply grow larger, but not divide into full bulbs. That's what my PhD vegetable expert told me a few weeks ago. I don't know this for a fact, but I did this late-planting and will know what happens with those cloves by late summer. It's just another one of my "experiments".

I have never seen rust on any of my garlic leaves, so I don't have a clue why that occurs. It seems to be a problem in the west though, but again, why, I don't know.

Ok I will ask at the ABG what their garlic does. I am assuming they plant in the fall - but you know about assumptions. I would agree if the little cloves have not grown by now then they will simply get larger. Next year I will be more careful and perhaps plant in the ground rather than in the raised bed. Not much protection there from the cold especially with the lack of snow this year.

Absolutely, Mary, let the ABG guide you with this. They have loads of experience growing in your conditions. I have to do a lot of guessing.

True but you do get information from formally trained persons. Still, it is fun to listen to anecdotal experiences. Even if they are from Florida or Georgia. Sometimes it is actually very helpful. The timing of things would be one of the biggest differences for me up here compared with what you all are doing down there. Even compared to Washington or Oregon. But how to grow seeds, potting methods, ways of extending the season - - those are all good things to read about. That and drooling over gorgeous flowers when my ground is still frozen.

MISSSISSIPPI, Mary! Floridians and Georgians are uppity folks.......

My gosh, Ken -- the name of your state looks even worse when it's in all caps... oh, maybe it's because there are 3 S's together, no wonder I was going kind of cross-eyed

Mary, I believe that clove that you shoved back into the ground will make a bulb -- it's been there all winter and has started developing roots and a sprout already; the only ones I've ever had just grow into a big single clove were ones that I didn't plant until about this time of year, from garlic I had left over from last year. And, even if it does just make a single big clove, mine were actually pretty nice -- they didn't look like the usual "cloves," they were nice round balls about 1" or so in diameter.

Whoops.........

You have given me some information I did not know, Sandy. I planted around 50 cloves last month in three Earth Boxes just to see what they would do. Now I know to expect large cloves. I was assured by one of our university horticulturist, whose specialty is vegetables, that I would never get actual bulbs from this experiment, but I still wanted to see what would happen. I like experiments!

Well, who knows, Ken? Still worth the experiment to see what you're own experience shows. If you only get the big cloves like I did, I wouldn't consider that a disaster. And if I believed everything I read or heard I probably never would have tried softneck garlic, or the Creole type... I'm a huge fan of questioning the conventional wisdom!!

A couple of years ago, I'd planted some cloves and totally forgotten about them. They didn't grow much that first season. Anyway, the next year they all sprouted multiple sprouts (unlike the single stem/leaves that usually come up). We kind of assumed that there was more than one clove now, and they were all sending up shoots. We were correct in our assumption.

We dug then after the 2nd season, and had several small cloves in each bunch. Separated them and replanted at the appropriate time. Got small heads from each of them.

Note to self: do not plant garlic in places where they don't thrive, and then forget to harvest. Takes way too long to get a good head of garlic that way

LOL, Linda -- that sounds like good advice you've given yourself!

A local friend recently told me that he just leaves his garlic in place and digs some whenever he wants it... that totally puzzles me, because, as you noted, leaving a bulb in the ground will result in each clove growing and trying to form a new bulb. It seems to me that all you would have is a big mess after a few years

I would take offense at the Floridia and Georgia comment if I was originally from GA, but I'm not! I'm a Michigander!!!

I am surprised that the fella can harvest whenever he wants to. Generally speaking, garlic bulbs left in the ground will rot, particularly here in the wet and humid south. Perhaps they won't rot with super, well-draining soil. I have never left a bulb in the ground after maturity, so I really don't know.