2 ?? of Garlic Growers

[Derald]

1. If you interplant other veggies among your garlic, what are they?

1. How closely may companion crops be planted? Put another way, how sensitive is garlic to crowding?

I'm awaiting an order of organic Inchelium Red, which is purported to do well in the warm humid Gulf states. I'm in a climate where, although, from late October onward overnight lows may (occasionaly) be in the 40's (F) daytime highs remain in at least the 70's (on average) until December. Durations of daytime highs in the 40's are usually measured in days (Jan. & Feb.) and those of overnight lows approaching freezing, usually in hours (sometimes just an hour, or so). I am concerned about vernalization, if it's even necessary for the variety I've chosen.

[songbird]

right now i'm growing garlic with birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa. the legumes are veggies for the worms (but some people do actually eat alfalfa tablets as a dietary supplement).

no observed problems yet, but i still have to pull it.

as long as the leaves get light and the plant gets enough moisture i think they can be planted fairly closely (spaced a few inches from other garlic) if you have companion plants over a foot and a half tall that might be pressing your luck if you want large cloves.

on the other hand, i've yet to find a garlic i didn't like eating the green tops (garlic chives) and didn't have more scapes and/or seeds than i could possibly use even if they were grown tightly packed. i keep a patch apart from the rest of the plantings as a backup source of bulbs/scapes. so far i've not had to do anything to it but keep the grasses out.

it seems rather early to be putting garlic in, but perhaps down there it can be done that ways? hmm... two plantings? seems like the heat will cook it (a big risk of dehydration in that sandy soil you've got).

here i harvest the scapes/bulbs and let them sit for a month or two before replanting them (late August - early September). and of course eat or give away most of them.

let us know how it goes. :)

songbird

[Derald]

Well, I had to look up trefoil on the web and alfalfa comes in bags from the feed store. Alfalfa might grow during the winter but maybe a compact variety of garden pea might do if trellised in a N-S bed as not to shade the garlic.

Oh, no. I'm just planning, not planting, the fall garden. Just because I'm waiting doesn't mean the garlic will be here any time soon! One has to pre-order early (April) to be sure of getting the stuff. Barring some production problem, I expect it to arrive in August. Down here, garlic (and bulbing onions) are planted Oct-Dec and start coming in in late April - June. I keep the garlic in a

35° refrigerator until time to plant. I found this photo on Gardenweb of chilled and unchilled Inchelium Red garlic grown side-by-side in Sanford, FL (USDA zone 10), quite a distance south of me: . I get the impression that garlic grown this far south is only a shade of the garlic grown in Northern climes but then you're not likely to have that citrus tree you see in the background; LOL!

In hot weather, I insulate the beds with bagged leaves, pine straw or store-bought wheat straw, whichever is readily at hand. Also, the beds are amended with fair amounts of composted organic matter including vegetative compost and manures.

[songbird]

compact garden pea sounds ok. :)

ok, thanks for clarification.

i really have no idea as i've never gardened that far south. the fact that you do get some cool weather is probably enough for a species selected like you have.

since you are planting late (and not early as i was wondering about) i do think you'll be ok with this. :) and again, i also know that you monitor your gardens regularly so there would be less worry for dehydration than with a random poster asking about this.

songbird