garlic developing tops...what do i do?

[<me]

I planted my garlic in october and now I am seeing considerable top growth, due to warmer than expected temperatures. is this going to cause problems? the variety is a hardneck, russian red. thanks

[Steve Calvin]

What zone are you in and how high are the tops?

If you're in the northern part of the US where the weather has got to be about ready to snap cold I'd say don't worry about 'em. I've had them as high as 3 or 4 inches and they did just fine.

[Gary Woods]

It wil cost the cloves some energy, but probably not fatal. Just be extra-special-nice to them in the spring. And polish up your crystal ball. Sometimes the future is cloudy....

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at

Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

[Bill Bolle]

This happens to me every year. I just tuck them in with some mulch of cut grass or leaves and even if the exposed garlic leaves freeze they come back strong in the Spring. The wild onions and garlic in my lawn don't seem to be harmed by winter freeze and snow, come back strong in the Spring without the benefit of mulch and I can't get rid of them. Not to worry--------Bill

[dstvns]

No worries, garlic is tough, it can take varying temps...ESPECIALLY stiffnecks.

Green growth is a good sign...it means the root system is in place. The bulb would not develop green unless its roots were well-entrenched.

Dan

[Cdonahey41]

Trim off the garlic and use it for cooking.

Saute in some butter or olive oil for just a second and then use on bread for instance.

[Beecrofter]

Good sign it should do well, come spring make sure to top dress with some sifted compost, keep the weeds down and provide even moisture. Don't forget to stir fry some of the scapes before they get too tough.

[Steve]

Oh? What part do you eat? The little developing flower head at the top or the entire stalk too? At what point (in development) are they good?

Steve ... full of questions in the Adirondacks

[Steve Calvin]

I use the whole thing. I usually cut them down close to the leaves when the scape begins to curl. Yes, very good and depending on what kind you're growing... very potent. :-)

[Colin Malsingh]

Ok, this is the expected pattern. But do you have any advice for those who's garlic *hasn't* shown any sign of growth above the ground?

I planted three varieties: two "normal" (can't remember names, but they were sold for Autumn planting in the UK) and some Elephant garlic, all at the start of October.

So far, one of the normal ones has produced good green shoots around 6 inches long. However, neither of the others have. I had a careful dig around one of these and found a clove with no shoots but a bunch of rootlets an inch long, which looked promising.

Are there any varieties that don't produce any shoots before the Spring, even when planted in the Autumn? The Elephant garlic I planted last year definitely had some sprouts by December, though may not have been the same variety.

Colin

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[Gary Woods]

ISTR the conventional wisdom is that it's better for there NOT to be top-growth before winter, because this growth is winter damaged and costs the clove some energy stores. Thankfully, I'm almost always behind schedule, so I seldom see any pre-winter growth, though I do get it in the recommended 6-8 weeks before the ground freezes. This fall, I put a thin mulch over it to slow freezing a bit; I'll add more once the ground does freeze. Right now, the wind is howling about like a bad Alaska gold rush movie.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at

Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

[Steve Calvin]

Yup. I'm in the same boat this year 'cause I was actually later putting it in than normal. View it as goodness. No energy has been spent that's going to have to be "re-cooped" in the spring. You're in good shape.