Ken wrote: >>The hardneck doesn't necessarily go bad when the clock chimes "Four months", but it has a tendency to begin sprouting. It wants to go in the ground, and four months from harvest is when it will begin to be planted.
And where I live it's more like 2-3 months after harvest that I start planting again... and by the time spring rolls around both the hardneck and softneck that are left have begun to sprout, but then I stick some in the ground to harvest for "green garlic" while I wait for the real harvest. If I moved south I'd definitely have to learn how to garden all over again!!
Arlene wrote: >>we sell lots of garlic at market and we try to educate our customers as much as possible.
Arlene, I think that's exactly as it should be! What's the point of dealing directly with the grower if you don't get any better information than you do at the supermarket? As a gardener, and I'm sure most other gardeners will agree, it can be hard for me to remember that not everyone understands how this stuff works. Obviously, we all learn something new every day, but I mean the very basic stuff -- like "plant garlic (and other bulbs) with the root side down." "Keep the seeds moist after planting." "Colored peppers are green (usually, anyway) peppers that have gotten ripe." "No, your potatoes and tomatoes didn't cross and make 'potato tomatoes', those are potato seed pods." On the other hand, the people who know absolutely nothing about growing food almost undoubtedly know a heck of a lot more than I do about other things... and I love talking about gardening!
