Picked up elephant garlic growing wild off the side of the road from an old home place 40 years ago. Now grows wild in my back yard. Now I know it's really a leek. Thanks
Thanks, finally someone took a little of the mystery and overwhelming number of varieties to choose from and made it easier to understand and make a better choice. Keep these videos coming, please?
I grow tons (not literally) of garlic, both types. Each have their perks, I like the hardneck varieties for the big bulbs and the scapes, I usually either ferment these or use them when cooking strong garlic dishes. I dry and grind some for garlic powder. The softnecks as you said are great keepers so they fill in late winter and are good for stews and soups where you just want a hint of garlic flavor. My winters can be harsh, but I've never had any problems. I plant the softnecks kind of deep and mulch them heavily with straw or leaves. The softnecks are the best choice for medicinal raw garlic concoctions bc they're not as spicy and bc they keep well they're usually my choice if I'm making a spray for bugs for the garden. I've got them in many places, some are for harvesting and some are companions to perennials which I just divide when they get too big.
I never knew there was so many varieties... Just checked my Johnny's seed catalog ( Thanks to you for mentioning them) and they have several of varieties you suggested... Guess I know where I'll be buying my garlic from. Thank You ☺️
Try "Edible Acres" seed garlic when it becomes available around September. I bought one pound hardneck (unknown variety), only $13.00/pound! Five HUGE organic healthy beyond belief heads gave me 35 cloves in the ground. Next year I'll have 5 pounds approx. for $13.00 and will save a lot to plant and forever have garlic as much as I can use for only a $13.00 initial investment.
Every seed company online was sold out of garlic by May or June. Mid summer seems way too late to order. Helpful information here, but I think you need to order in March or April online. They ship the garlic in September but sell out very early in the year.
Scott, I felt the emotion in the tennis courts & 3 boys planting stories of yours, thank you for that. How much sun does garlic require? 4500 ft elevation SWUSA. HOPE YOUR ALL SAFE AND WELL.
Gardener Scott thanks so much... looking at placement in my garden for planting in sept. Hopefully will have room for them after harvest. Stays pretty warm in NM in sept. Garden faces east on back side of my house. Shade happens by 3:30 pm, 4:30 in part of garden further from house.
Just for something fun to try I'm going to put some garlic in the 5-gal pots I over-winter hot peppers in this year. Garlic is widely recommended as a companion plant so why not?
Gardener Scott, After watching several of your CZcams videos on growing garlic, I really want to grow some garlic this fall. Which would be suitable for growing in South Texas: hardneck or softneck? Would the winter not be cold enough for hardneck? It rarely gets below freezing where I live. Would the winter be too mild for softneck? I've never grown garlic before so I'm not quite sure. I wouldn't mind trying both if they'll do well in South Texas.
Donny, softneck varieties usually do better in the South; check out some Creole varieties. Refrigerating for 6-8 weeks before planting can help with bulb development.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for replying, I have Casablanca hard neck and flavour soft neck that both came up in November and December all were planted at the same time as my unknown variety on October 12th. I have 6 sprouted of the unknown variety as from today so I'm hopeful the rest will come soon and I'll start to feed the soil some blood fish and bone meal and wood ash. 👌👍🤠
Hi Gardener Scott. Thanks for the great videos. I have a few questions regarding garlic (no suicide attempts please). I really like the garlic flower. I know we're supposed to take off the flowers before they bloom, but I don't want to do that. Is there any way to still have the bulbs and the flowers? Additionally, I know garlic is grown in bulbs and you break up the bulbs and plant the individual cloves. If I want to keep the flower, is there another way to propagate the plant, maybe from seeds or something? Everyplace I've looked says I can't have both the bulb and the flower, but if I propagate using another manner, I can have both, right? Thanks for answering in advance, and congrats on the growth of your channel.
Thanks. Sure, you can have the flower and bulb. The bulb may be a bit smaller if you let it finish flowering and it may change the flavor of the garlic. You can propagate from seed; that's how producers develop new varieties of garlic. Planting a clove is essentially cloning and you get the same garlic. Sowing seed should result in a plant, but because it's not a clone the resulting bulb may look and taste different.
Great video, thank you! I want to plant the strongest and spiciest garlic there is for Zone 5. Online search says that Carpathian and Metechi are some of the strongest varieties for zone 5. I see that you have both on the table. In your experience, which one is stronger, Carpathian, or Metechi, or something else? Which one do you recommend? I don't have much space, so have to choose just one. Thank you!
I've never grown garlic, but intend to this year. I've ordered Inchelium Red. I may be moving before garlic would reach maturity next summer. I was thinking of planting the cloves in rectangular coolers that I drilled drainage holes in the bottoms so it would be portable. Do you think this could work? What are the spacing and nutrient requirements? I'm in western Kentucky zone 6b/7a.
Hi, Tricia. I think you'll love growing garlic. It's so easy and can definitely be grown in containers that can be moved. They should be spaced about six inches apart and don't usually need many nutrients if planted in good soil. Here's my video on planting it: czcams.com/video/4xoqR87h0QQ/video.html
@@triciamcdonald1030 They don't need a ton of water, the usual rule of thumb about watering when the soil feels dry an inch or so down when you poke your finger in has worked fine for me. Use a well-draining soil mix, because everyone says they will rot if the soil stays really soaked. Basically about the same as any normal plant. :)
I am looking for a garlic to make black garlic from. It needs to have a strong flavor, because the long cooking process for black garlic mellows the flavor a lot. Has anyone done this and can you recommend a variety.
Hi, Anita. You definitely want to go with a hard neck variety because they have large, uniform cloves. Music, Georgian Fire, and Italian Red all have good, strong, garlic flavor.
When planting would I take the cloves apart and just plant one clove at a time or the whole head intact? Sorry that’s a dumb question but I have never planted garlic 😅
It's not a dumb question, Lorie. Take the bulb apart and plant each clove individually. A single clove will grow into a big bulb. Check out this video that shows how: czcams.com/video/4xoqR87h0QQ/video.html
Garlic is typically harvested in the middle of summer and planted in the middle of autumn. It only needs to last a few months before planting. The time I mention in this video is for using garlic in the kitchen and how long it can be stored before using.
Garlic grows best in a loose, well-draining soil; it does not do well in soggy soil. The soil should also have a lot of organic matter in the soil. Growing garlic can be more difficult in hot regions. Look for a Creole garlic for best success.
Fluffy with plenty of good compost is pretty much always better in my experience. I think that goes for most root crops, and in general. I add about 1/3 vermiculite and/or perlite to my soil or soil mixes; if you can get "coarse" grade vermiculite go for it; the finer grade typically found in Walmart etc is a good deal smaller in size but it still definitely helps a good deal. For the sake of simplicity I've even used just 2/3 compost and 1/3 coarse vermiculite and it worked out just fine.
@@GardenerScott I cannot find elephant garlic in Ontario.. I am looking forward to seeing your garden on so excited and the new layout. But I did find one onion seed that I wanted to grow it is. kelsae onion
Thanks, Adam. It's too late for this year, but if you want to try it in fall, check different seed companies for garlic. Vesey's Seeds has elephant garlic and delivers in Canada. www.veseys.com/ca/vegetables/garlic.html
Hi, Scott! Do you or Larry have any "extra" seed garlic laying around you may be willing to part with? I'm only looking for heads of three or four different varieties - each with drastically different characteristics, but I foolishly waited too long to order and the growers are all sold out. I'm not picky about which varieties I get, especially given the current situation. I'll be more than happy to pay for whatever you don't mind selling!
Hi, Brandon. I don't know about Larry, but I don't have any bulbs. I'll ask around and see if I can find any. I'll message you on Facebook if I'm successful.
@@GardenerScott I don't have Facebook, only Twitter, and thank you so much! I've been on a social media purge for about two months, but I'll check in daily to see if I have a message from you. (I think we have to follow each other to send direct messages) Thank you again!
Hello, I planted my Garlic (GERMAN RED HARDNECK) the last week of October 2021 and I am in zone 5b. I mulched with clean straw and planted as directed. I pulled 1 up just to get a sense of the progress on July 9th this year (2022) and it is not very big (about the size of my thumb). I did cut the scapes off about 1 month ago. The root system seems to be pretty good, but the Garlic is very small. The plants seem to be very alive and not yet dying off at all. I water 2 times a week since it has been fairly dry this year. I have been researching and see that others are harvesting already. I am wondering if harvest time can take longer sometimes? I have a picture but I'm not sure how or if I can attach it. Thank you, Scott
Scott, I'm having a heck of a time finding out the difference between Red Russian and Russian Red garlic. I'm not sure but I think both are hardneck Rocamboles. Some sites describe Russian Red as a Standard Purple Stripe and Red Russian as a Marbled Purple Stripe and vice-versa. Russian Red supposedly has stronger flavor and produces more cloves than Red Russian. I initially thought they were the same variety and they just flipped the words Red and Russian around but I could have sworn I saw both varieties sold on one site. Anyway, it's driving me bananas and I wanted to get your thoughts. 🧄
I looked at a few different sites and found the same thing you did. I found this site that is clear that they are different: garlicseed.ca/products/russian-red-garlic-bulbs#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20note,to%20be%20used%20when%20cooking.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for looking into it, I appreciate it. If they are in fact two different varieties, and if Russian Red was named first, then I feel whoever named Red Russian should've called it something else to avoid this confusion.
I live 30 miles from Gilroy thanks it helps me
Great video. I'm in Southern California and going to start with some Spanish Roja
Picked up elephant garlic growing wild off the side of the road from an old home place 40 years ago. Now grows wild in my back yard. Now I know it's really a leek. Thanks
Another source for buying garlic are your local farmers markets! You can buy and taste them at home and if you like it, go back and get some to plant!
Thanks, Scott. I have been growing my own garlic for years now.
My taste buds are swimming with excitement
Thanks, finally someone took a little of the mystery and overwhelming number of varieties to choose from and made it easier to understand and make a better choice. Keep these videos coming, please?
Thank you so much for the info!
Lots of good detail here, thanks!
You're welcome.
Great time for this. I was just searching for fall garlic to order!
I'm glad the timing works. I hope you find some good, new varieties to try.
Thank you. Great information. Now I want to look for some of the varieties you mentioned.
Enjoy it. :)
I grow tons (not literally) of garlic, both types. Each have their perks, I like the hardneck varieties for the big bulbs and the scapes, I usually either ferment these or use them when cooking strong garlic dishes. I dry and grind some for garlic powder. The softnecks as you said are great keepers so they fill in late winter and are good for stews and soups where you just want a hint of garlic flavor. My winters can be harsh, but I've never had any problems. I plant the softnecks kind of deep and mulch them heavily with straw or leaves. The softnecks are the best choice for medicinal raw garlic concoctions bc they're not as spicy and bc they keep well they're usually my choice if I'm making a spray for bugs for the garden. I've got them in many places, some are for harvesting and some are companions to perennials which I just divide when they get too big.
Awesome thank you so much for your valuable info/advice. Great vids. I'm learning 😊
Thanks! I'm glad to help.
our choice for garlic has alresdy been made... it's the garlic that's already growing wild in our garden lol
I watch them all but sometimes forget to click thumbs up
Thanks, Dee.
All new info for me! Thank you Gardner Scott. Ordered mine online.
That's great, Steve.
I never knew there was so many varieties... Just checked my Johnny's seed catalog ( Thanks to you for mentioning them) and they have several of varieties you suggested... Guess I know where I'll be buying my garlic from. Thank You ☺️
Try "Edible Acres" seed garlic when it becomes available around September. I bought one pound hardneck (unknown variety), only $13.00/pound! Five HUGE organic healthy beyond belief heads gave me 35 cloves in the ground. Next year I'll have 5 pounds approx. for $13.00 and will save a lot to plant and forever have garlic as much as I can use for only a $13.00 initial investment.
Awesome info and bought several kinds to try out this year
That's great! Enjoy gardening.
Very informative from a fellow Colorado Gardener. Looking for Music now. Debra
I'm Italian... and I never knew there were so many choices of garlic's to choose from...
👍Thank you.
Great video, thank you! Question: Which category does Music fall under, hard or soft neck?
I like that question. Music garlic is hard neck. The music you listen to when choosing your garlic can be hard or soft.
Every seed company online was sold out of garlic by May or June. Mid summer seems way too late to order. Helpful information here, but I think you need to order in March or April online. They ship the garlic in September but sell out very early in the year.
Scott, I felt the emotion in the tennis courts & 3 boys planting stories of yours, thank you for that. How much sun does garlic require? 4500 ft elevation SWUSA. HOPE YOUR ALL SAFE AND WELL.
Thanks! Garlic does better in full sun of at least six hours.
Gardener Scott thanks so much... looking at placement in my garden for planting in sept. Hopefully will have room for them after harvest. Stays pretty warm in NM in sept. Garden faces east on back side of my house. Shade happens by 3:30 pm, 4:30 in part of garden further from house.
The dude teaches me about garlic bread.
Just for something fun to try I'm going to put some garlic in the 5-gal pots I over-winter hot peppers in this year. Garlic is widely recommended as a companion plant so why not?
That will be fun. Enjoy it.
Can the hard neck garlic and soft neck be planted in the same bed? I live in Tennessee, so for me too plant garlic what is the best time of yr?
They can. Autumn is usually the best time to plant. Here's my video that explains more: czcams.com/video/ZsvPUezEHh4/video.html
Gardener Scott,
After watching several of your CZcams videos on growing garlic, I really want to grow some garlic this fall.
Which would be suitable for growing in South Texas: hardneck or softneck?
Would the winter not be cold enough for hardneck? It rarely gets below freezing where I live.
Would the winter be too mild for softneck?
I've never grown garlic before so I'm not quite sure.
I wouldn't mind trying both if they'll do well in South Texas.
Donny, softneck varieties usually do better in the South; check out some Creole varieties. Refrigerating for 6-8 weeks before planting can help with bulb development.
Do you have a hard neck that takes 3-4 months to come up? I have an unknown hard neck that I'm growing. Thanks great video as always.👌👍❤️🙏
Because I plant in fall and have harsh winters my hard necks typically emerge in 5-6 months. Warmer winters can cause them to sprout sooner.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for replying, I have Casablanca hard neck and flavour soft neck that both came up in November and December all were planted at the same time as my unknown variety on October 12th. I have 6 sprouted of the unknown variety as from today so I'm hopeful the rest will come soon and I'll start to feed the soil some blood fish and bone meal and wood ash. 👌👍🤠
Hi Gardener Scott. Thanks for the great videos. I have a few questions regarding garlic (no suicide attempts please). I really like the garlic flower. I know we're supposed to take off the flowers before they bloom, but I don't want to do that. Is there any way to still have the bulbs and the flowers? Additionally, I know garlic is grown in bulbs and you break up the bulbs and plant the individual cloves. If I want to keep the flower, is there another way to propagate the plant, maybe from seeds or something? Everyplace I've looked says I can't have both the bulb and the flower, but if I propagate using another manner, I can have both, right? Thanks for answering in advance, and congrats on the growth of your channel.
Thanks. Sure, you can have the flower and bulb. The bulb may be a bit smaller if you let it finish flowering and it may change the flavor of the garlic. You can propagate from seed; that's how producers develop new varieties of garlic. Planting a clove is essentially cloning and you get the same garlic. Sowing seed should result in a plant, but because it's not a clone the resulting bulb may look and taste different.
@@GardenerScott How would I collect seeds? Paper underneath?
Can you plant in spring
You can but you won't get big bulbs without exposure to cold temperatures.
Great video, thank you! I want to plant the strongest and spiciest garlic there is for Zone 5. Online search says that Carpathian and Metechi are some of the strongest varieties for zone 5. I see that you have both on the table. In your experience, which one is stronger, Carpathian, or Metechi, or something else? Which one do you recommend? I don't have much space, so have to choose just one. Thank you!
Both are good. Metechi may be a bit stronger.
@@GardenerScott thank you!
I've never grown garlic, but intend to this year. I've ordered Inchelium Red. I may be moving before garlic would reach maturity next summer. I was thinking of planting the cloves in rectangular coolers that I drilled drainage holes in the bottoms so it would be portable. Do you think this could work? What are the spacing and nutrient requirements? I'm in western Kentucky zone 6b/7a.
Hi, Tricia. I think you'll love growing garlic. It's so easy and can definitely be grown in containers that can be moved. They should be spaced about six inches apart and don't usually need many nutrients if planted in good soil. Here's my video on planting it: czcams.com/video/4xoqR87h0QQ/video.html
Tricia I've been growing garlic in containers about that size and it worked out really well. East TN zone 7 here.
@@dystopiagear6999 Thank you. What are the watering requirements when grown in containers?
@@triciamcdonald1030 They don't need a ton of water, the usual rule of thumb about watering when the soil feels dry an inch or so down when you poke your finger in has worked fine for me.
Use a well-draining soil mix, because everyone says they will rot if the soil stays really soaked. Basically about the same as any normal plant. :)
I am looking for a garlic to make black garlic from. It needs to have a strong flavor, because the long cooking process for black garlic mellows the flavor a lot. Has anyone done this and can you recommend a variety.
Hi, Anita. You definitely want to go with a hard neck variety because they have large, uniform cloves. Music, Georgian Fire, and Italian Red all have good, strong, garlic flavor.
Thanks
Do both hard and soft neck garlic produce garlic scapes?
Only hard neck garlic produces scapes.
When planting would I take the cloves apart and just plant one clove at a time or the whole head intact? Sorry that’s a dumb question but I have never planted garlic 😅
It's not a dumb question, Lorie. Take the bulb apart and plant each clove individually. A single clove will grow into a big bulb. Check out this video that shows how: czcams.com/video/4xoqR87h0QQ/video.html
How do you save the garlic to plant the next year if they only last a few months? I'm excited to try and grow garlic.
Garlic is typically harvested in the middle of summer and planted in the middle of autumn. It only needs to last a few months before planting. The time I mention in this video is for using garlic in the kitchen and how long it can be stored before using.
@@GardenerScott Thank you! That makes sense. Obviously I know nothing about garlic.
Is there a best place to buy garlic online?
I've bought from different sources and always had good results. Any reputable nursery should have good garlic.
What soil do you feel is best for soft neck garlic in a subtropical zone?
Garlic grows best in a loose, well-draining soil; it does not do well in soggy soil. The soil should also have a lot of organic matter in the soil. Growing garlic can be more difficult in hot regions. Look for a Creole garlic for best success.
Fluffy with plenty of good compost is pretty much always better in my experience. I think that goes for most root crops, and in general. I add about 1/3 vermiculite and/or perlite to my soil or soil mixes; if you can get "coarse" grade vermiculite go for it; the finer grade typically found in Walmart etc is a good deal smaller in size but it still definitely helps a good deal. For the sake of simplicity I've even used just 2/3 compost and 1/3 coarse vermiculite and it worked out just fine.
Lukan czech
Can you grow garlic in spring/summer at all? We were going to try planting it now
You can, but it won't produce big bulbs. It is more like growing green onions.
@@GardenerScott Ok. Turns out my husband wanted to grow garlic chives anyway so we will wait till fall for "real" garlic!
Have you tried growing elephant garlic
I am growing it this year.
@@GardenerScott I cannot find elephant garlic in Ontario.. I am looking forward to seeing your garden on so excited and the new layout. But I did find one onion seed that I wanted to grow it is. kelsae onion
Thanks, Adam. It's too late for this year, but if you want to try it in fall, check different seed companies for garlic. Vesey's Seeds has elephant garlic and delivers in Canada. www.veseys.com/ca/vegetables/garlic.html
Hi, Scott! Do you or Larry have any "extra" seed garlic laying around you may be willing to part with? I'm only looking for heads of three or four different varieties - each with drastically different characteristics, but I foolishly waited too long to order and the growers are all sold out. I'm not picky about which varieties I get, especially given the current situation. I'll be more than happy to pay for whatever you don't mind selling!
Hi, Brandon. I don't know about Larry, but I don't have any bulbs. I'll ask around and see if I can find any. I'll message you on Facebook if I'm successful.
@@GardenerScott I don't have Facebook, only Twitter, and thank you so much!
I've been on a social media purge for about two months, but I'll check in daily to see if I have a message from you. (I think we have to follow each other to send direct messages)
Thank you again!
Hello, I planted my Garlic (GERMAN RED HARDNECK) the last week of October 2021 and I am in zone 5b. I mulched with clean straw and planted as directed. I pulled 1 up just to get a sense of the progress on July 9th this year (2022) and it is not very big (about the size of my thumb). I did cut the scapes off about 1 month ago. The root system seems to be pretty good, but the Garlic is very small. The plants seem to be very alive and not yet dying off at all. I water 2 times a week since it has been fairly dry this year. I have been researching and see that others are harvesting already. I am wondering if harvest time can take longer sometimes? I have a picture but I'm not sure how or if I can attach it.
Thank you, Scott
It can take longer. I'm in 5b and haven't harvested yet. For me it will probably be two more weeks.
Scott, I'm having a heck of a time finding out the difference between Red Russian and Russian Red garlic. I'm not sure but I think both are hardneck Rocamboles. Some sites describe Russian Red as a Standard Purple Stripe and Red Russian as a Marbled Purple Stripe and vice-versa. Russian Red supposedly has stronger flavor and produces more cloves than Red Russian. I initially thought they were the same variety and they just flipped the words Red and Russian around but I could have sworn I saw both varieties sold on one site. Anyway, it's driving me bananas and I wanted to get your thoughts. 🧄
I looked at a few different sites and found the same thing you did. I found this site that is clear that they are different: garlicseed.ca/products/russian-red-garlic-bulbs#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20note,to%20be%20used%20when%20cooking.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for looking into it, I appreciate it. If they are in fact two different varieties, and if Russian Red was named first, then I feel whoever named Red Russian should've called it something else to avoid this confusion.