Ken ! I want to be queen to. texaskitty111 said:Just a interesting story about DDT. My husband and his friends, as a child, use to play in the stream of pesticides by following the truck. The drivers said nothing. He has no physical problems. Maybe it killed any parasites???
drdawg said:It may be different varieties, Robyn, @robynanne. That's the reason you need to label what you plant. Different varieties grow differently and harvest differently. Just like any vegetable, some cloves/seeds germinate, some don't. I don't know if your plants look good or not so good. I really can't tell you the time-frame of growth and harvest, since your weather conditions are radically different then mine here in Mississippi. I have a feeling that your harvest period would be 6-8 wks. behind mine though. Your onions look fine.
Weedwhacker said:Robyn, your onion plants look great!
Your garlic plants do look kind of small to me; do you know what kind you planted? Some types are much better suited for our northern gardens than others. In general, the hardneck types are better in the north than softneck garlic varieties, although I have a softneck called "K's Backyard," from Baker Creek that seems just as vigorous as the hardneck types that I grow. I also have a Creole garlic, Ajo Rojo, and the plants of that are about the size that yours appear to be; so, there is quite a variation in how well the different kinds might do in your garden. Also, if you planted a hardneck type and a softneck type, that would explain why only some of them (the hardnecks) have scapes.
Did you give your garlic patch any fertilizer and/or compost?
I always get some yellowing on my leaves like you have, long before harvest time; it doesn't seem to signal any actual problem.
drdawg said:The Chesnok Red is a great garlic, and is particularly well-suited when baked. But it is a good all-around garlic regardless how you use it. It will store 4-6 mo. There are several garlics that begin with a "T". I grow the Transylvanian and there is Thermadrone. There are several softnecks that come to mind, Thai Purple, Thai Fire, Topal, and Tzan. Though the hardnecks are most often the garlics grown in the north, many of the softnecks are grown successfully there, and well into Canada.
Sometimes softnecks will grow those scapes. Last year I had two varieties of softneck that grew typical scapes. I don't remember the names and I don't think any of my softneck grew scapes this year.
I only fertilize twice, Robyn. I use an organic fertilizer in the fall when planting, and it breaks down over a couple of months. In early spring, usually early March, I will fertilize again. That fertilizer is 5-5-5 and won't burn roots or developing bulbs.
drdawg said:Tell me when you get home and see the label. Nothing else that begins with a "T" comes to mind.
drdawg said:That's a new one for me, at least the name. This is the Red Toch and I do grow that. I don't have a clue why it would go by two names. Weird
drdawg said:@robynanne, even after growing garlic for five years, I still don't always know "exactly" when to dig bulbs up. Some of my varieties' stems will literally fall over. OK, time to dig. But most don't holler at you: "Dig me up". For me, when about half the lower leaves have turned brown and brittle, it is time to dig. But even this can be challenging since many varieties continue to grow green leaves well into the spring. Humm, are half the lower leaves brown? I do occasionally (carefully) dig around bulbs, just to see their size. But if I don't know whether the bulbs are supposed to be small, medium, or large, what am I looking for? Bulb size is in the eye of the beholder (digger). Growing the garlic is sort of easy. Its just a winter crop. Harvesting isn't so easy.
