(this is the first year I have ever planted garlic)

I want to say that I planted my Burgundy Creole Garlic around October or November. Since we had a real light winter this year I got leaves/steams popping pretty quick. Out of about 6 cloves that I planted I only have four that have grown. I would like to only use one clove this year and replant the rest.

Can I leave these in the ground until October and then pull / break apart / plant ? Or , do I need to pull them , store them, then replant?

I have read that the Creole can be pulled mid to late season, but I am unsure when that actually is. I have maybe one yellow leaf on each, but I am afraid that the bulbs are going to be small.

Welcome to Garden.org, @PlantMania !

I live much further north than you, but the general rule for harvesting garlic remains the same -- when there are only 3 or 4 green leaves left on the garlic plants, you should harvest them. Each green leaf represents a layer of "wrapper" around the garlic bulb; if you wait until the top dies completely back, you will have a bunch of individual cloves to try to dig up.

@DrDawg grows (and sells) garlic in Mississippi and may be able to tell you more about the actual timing of when yours should be ready to harvest; I believe he is going to be harvesting his garlic quite soon.

I mentioned to @DrDawg in a treemail that I might be posting a question.

Here they are , as sad as they are - fourth one got attacked by a grandson

PlantMania.

Different zones will have different harvest times. I grow all the categories, hardneck, softneck, and Creole. The Creole is usually the last to be dug up. Hardneck is the first. I should be digging up the hardneck in a week or two and expect to dig the Creole up about two weeks after the hardneck is dug. The Creole always have smaller bulbs than the hardneck and softneck. You are a bit warmer than I am here in Starkville, so my guess is that you'll dig your Creole up in a couple of weeks.

I would recommend you not consider leaving your bulbs in the ground past their harvest time. They will tend to rot in the ground. I assume you mean that you want to use one bulb, not one clove, and plant the cloves from the other three bulbs. Don't forget that you need to hang the garlic in a dry, warm, well aerated place for two weeks before cutting off the tops. Cut the tops about 1-2" above where the stem becomes the bulb. Thus when you store your bulbs (and don't divide them into cloves until you are ready to plant), store them in a plain, brown-paper bag and keep that bag in a dry, cool place. You don't want those bulbs exposed to light, thus the brown-paper. Mine are stored in my pantry and the pantry stays around 70F. Anything from 55-70F is fine.

Creole garlic is a great garlic, even though, as I mentioned, the bulbs are small. Hardneck typically have the largest bulbs and fewest cloves, which means the cloves will be probably 2-3 times the size of those of Creole. The major difference between the hardneck, softneck, and Creole is storage time. Hardneck typically should be used within 6 mo., softneck within 9 mo., and Creole can store well for a year. All varieties are different and flavors (garlickiness) and pungency (hotness). The hardneck varieties taste as good as the softneck and Creole and for me at least, all the categories grow equally well here. Is there a reason to pay a premium for softneck, and an even larger premium for Creole garlic if storage is not an issue? Probably not.

Feel free to contact me via T-Mail if you have questions or concerns.

I also pull the garlic when it dries back about 40 to 50%. Then hang to dry and you can replant (or eat) later. When you replant, you can pull the cloves apart and plant each one in the ground again for more garlic bulbs next year. It's almost time to pull up my creoles.

PlantMania said:I mentioned to @DrDawg in a treemail that I might be posting a question.

Here they are , as sad as they are - fourth one got attacked by a grandson

Well... they do look pretty spindly and sad, I'm afraid. I've never tried growing garlic in a container (but DrDawg does), so I can't say for sure, but I don't think they had enough room in the container you used. I'm not too confident that you're going to get anything suitable for replanting... so you might want to consider buying more "seed" garlic and giving it another try.

Ken / @DrDawg -- how big of container do you need for garlic?

Huge, 24" diameter.

How deep? I'm thinking the container in the photo is way too shallow?

Sounds like I will scrap this first years test.

Planter is about 6-inches deep and about 9.5-inches wide.

Oh well - try try again

Don't give up on this year completely... your plants may have formed small round bulbs like an onion "set," which are perfectly usable ! Let them grow as long as they will, then dig them out -- you have nothing to lose, and may be pleasantly surprised

Those undersized bulbs would be considered "eating-cloves". The rule of thumb is to use the largest cloves to plant since those cloves will generally produce the largest bulbs. My pots are 24" in diameter and probably 20" deep. The vast majority of what I grow are in a raised garden though. I did not plant any garlic in pots last fall. I planted late and did not have the number of cloves I would have liked.

Don't be discouraged by your experience with garlic this year, PlantMania! I have gone from thinking there was no way that I could plant cloves in the fall and hope them to come up in the spring, to realizing I can actually grow many types of garlic -- hardneck, softneck, Creole -- despite the "conventional wisdom." Garlic is a wonderful garden plant and worth the learning curve !

@Weedwhacker, discouraged? Bahh that's just me learning, thank you though. I am very bull headed and will try try again. Heck I think I just killed 6 month aquaponic system but all is good. there is always a new version with new and improved things to try. With the help from this group, I am sure that we can accomplish many things.

Great wisdom @weedwhacker.

@PlantMania, you have an experimenter's attitude and that will carry you far in the realm of gardening. Since you have such interest in growing garlic, did you happen to read my three articles published last spring on garlic? If not, you might find them interesting.

PlantMania said:@Weedwhacker, discouraged? Bahh that's just me learning, thank you though. I am very bull headed and will try try again. Heck I think I just killed 6 month aquaponic system but all is good. there is always a new version with new and improved things to try. With the help from this group, I am sure that we can accomplish many things.

LOL -- spoken like a truly addicted gardener!

Here's a link to a list of articles about garlic, including the ones by Ken: http://garden.org/ideas/search...

WOW - Thanks @weedwhacker, for the link. Much reading to do.

I knew that the garlic would be an experiment. Last year we were walking through our favorite nursery and I saw one lone brown bag with the words Burgundy Creole Garlic written on it ....the last one!!!!. One side of my mind says, "Hey, there is a bag of garlic", the other side of my mind however says "OMG, OMG, there's only one left, I have never planted garlic before, grab it before anyone else takes it!"

Well we know which side won. I will admit that I jump into things and THEN go back and watch videos or read articles.

@drdawg - I am sure you will read more post of some of our experiments in gardening and shake your head

We are hoping to move by year end. Out of HOA territory and into 3 - 5 acres. Once this happens all bets are off on what we will come up with

How great that will be, Stewart. No HOA and the freedom that 3-5 acres affords.

I love to experiment in my gardening. That's an important way for me to learn. I don't read many DIY books.